Julia Stoschek Collection returns to Düsseldorf with Selfish in Bed
The Julia Stoschek Collection plans to reopen its renovated Düsseldorf headquarters in Germany with Selfish in Bed in April 2027. Marking its 20th anniversary, the exhibition brings together 52 works by 43 artists. Curator Krist Gruijthuijsen takes Sarah Lucas’ self-portrait as a starting point for questions of identity, sexuality and public self-presentation.
Arts··Night
Selfish in Bed reopens the Düsseldorf headquarters
The Julia Stoschek Collection plans to reopen its renovated Düsseldorf headquarters in Germany with Selfish in Bed. The exhibition runs from April 10 to December 19, 2027, following an opening reception on April 9. It marks the collection’s 20th anniversary with 52 works by 43 artists, including pieces that the foundation has not exhibited before.[1], [2]
The selection spans the late 1960s to the present. Its title comes from Sarah Lucas’ self-portrait Selfish in Bed II, made in 2000. The photograph shows Lucas standing with her hands on her hips in a black T-shirt bearing the words that give the show its name. Curator Krist Gruijthuijsen takes the bed as a starting point for questions of identity, sexuality and public self-presentation.[1]
The selection brings together moving images and self-presentation
Tracey Emin’s Why I Never Became a Dancer dates from 1995; Simon Fujiwara’s Joanne from 2016/2018 and Hannah Wilke’s Through the Large Glass from 1976. These works address women’s relationships with their bodies, sexuality and public image. Monica Bonvicini’s Destroy She Said, from 1998, challenges domestic roles, while Ed Atkins’ Us Dead Talk Love, from 2012, addresses identity and authenticity in the digital age.[1]
The two-floor installation includes projections, television monitors, mirrored surfaces and glass walls. Works by Bill Viola, Wolfgang Tillmans and Rosemarie Trockel are grouped around human experience from birth onward; Bruce Nauman is also represented. Gruijthuijsen directs Finland’s Espoo Museum of Modern Art and previously led Berlin’s KW Institute for Contemporary Art.[1]
The renewed building returns after its 2025 closure
The Düsseldorf headquarters closed for renovation in April 2025. It occupies a former industrial building dating from 1907. Berlin architecture practice Kuehn Malvezzi, which first adapted the building for exhibitions in 2007, has undertaken the renovation.[1]
The foundation closed its Berlin exhibition space at the end of October after a decade of programming, shifting attention to Düsseldorf and international projects. Its collection contains more than 1,000 works by over 300 artists. An anniversary publication accompanies the Düsseldorf programme, with contributions from Rachel Cusk, Chris Kraus, Dean Kissick and McKenzie Wark.[1]
