The Old Masters Picture Gallery in Dresden has opened a comprehensive exhibition titled "Hercules - Hero and Anti-Hero," running from November 22, 2025, through June 28, 2026. The exhibition features 135 diverse objects that examine the complex mythology surrounding one of antiquity's most famous figures while simultaneously reflecting on the self-image of Augustus the Strong, the former Elector of Saxony and King of Poland.
The exhibition, curated by conservators Roland Enke and Sascha Kansteiner along with research associate Saskia Wetzig, presents an extensive range of artifacts spanning from ancient Greek pottery to modern interpretations. Among the oldest pieces are Attic amphora vases depicting Heracles' heroic deeds from the 5th century BC, while the newest work is a 1971 silkscreen print by Thomas Bayrle titled "Augean Stable."
One of the exhibition's most remarkable pieces is a plaster cast of a destroyed sandstone statue by Balthasar Permoser, standing just over three meters tall and depicting Hercules supporting the celestial sphere. This cast represents the closest visitors can come to experiencing the original Hercules Saxonicus that once graced the Wall Pavilion of the Zwinger palace before its destruction during World War II. The sculpture was later reconstructed using this very plaster cast as a reference.
The exhibition deliberately challenges the traditional notion of the flawless hero by presenting Hercules as a complex and contradictory figure. As one Disney quote from the 1997 film displayed in the exhibition states, "A true hero isn't measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart." However, the curators explore the darker aspects of the mythological figure, noting his violent tendencies and questionable actions throughout the legendary twelve labors.
Visitors can explore various thematic sections, including one dedicated to Hercules' complex relationships with women. The exhibition examines what modern audiences might recognize as toxic masculinity in the uncontrolled, violent, often absent, unfaithful, solitary, alcoholic, and crude character who committed acts including rape and murder. Despite these flaws, women and female deities significantly influenced his fate from birth to death.
Two exceptional loans from the Prado Museum in Madrid highlight this theme. Peter Paul Rubens' painting "The Birth of the Milky Way" (1636/1638) captures the moment when Hera awakens to discover she is nursing Heracles, Zeus's illegitimate child. As she pushes the infant away in anger, her milk spills across the heavens, creating the Milky Way. The second Prado loan depicts the hero's death, showing Hercules engulfed in flames after unknowingly donning the poisoned shirt of Nessus, which cannot be removed from his body.
The exhibition also features eight audio stations narrated by Martin Brambach, known for his role in Dresden's "Tatort" crime series. Short film sequences from various Hercules movies play on screens throughout the gallery, including Italian sword-and-sandal films from the 1960s that the curators note have aged poorly, particularly in their portrayal of women who are typically shown either gazing adoringly at the hero or fainting.
A significant portion of the exhibition explores the connection between Hercules and Augustus the Strong, who identified more strongly with the mythological hero than perhaps any other ruler of the absolutist era. Ten different medals, along with goldsmith objects, sculptures, and paintings commissioned during his reign, demonstrate this identification. Even earlier, Elector Moritz appears to have appreciated being depicted with Hercules' features in a 1551 painting by Lucas Cranach the Younger, where Hercules drives away pygmies with his raised club.
The exhibition includes works from various institutions within the Dresden State Art Collections, as well as loans from the Bavarian State Painting Collection, the Glyptothek in Munich, the Porcelain Foundation in Meißen, and the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen. Literary connections are explored through quotes from writers including Peter Dürrenmatt, who wrote in his 1953 work "Hercules in the Augean Stable": "Let's get to the muck. A big word. We are a democracy and face a complete renewal of the state."
The exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive catalog published by Sandstein Verlag, featuring 200 pages and 155 mostly color illustrations, available for 38 euros. A free multimedia guide is available to visitors, and an extensive program of guided tours, art discussions, lectures, workshops, and family programs accompanies the exhibition. The gallery is open daily except Mondays from 10 AM to 5 PM.
