Hann Trier

Rhythmic, pulsating with light, and carried by improvisational freedom — this is how the work of our 2026 festival artist can be summed up. The German painter, watercolorist, and graphic artist Hann Trier (1915–1999) will shape the visual world of the 2026 festival. With his gestural, intertwined painting style, he is paradigmatic for the festival program’s focus on exchange, cohesion, and dialogicity.  

He was a graduate of the renowned Düsseldorf Art Academy and a teacher to Georg Baselitz and Elvira Bach, among others. In 1989, he received the Order of Merit of North Rhine-Westphalia in recognition of his artistic achievements. Trier did not paint; he conducted. His brushstrokes were not mere lines but rather notes in a composition of color, space, and movement. Standing in front of his monumental ceiling paintings, such as those in Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin, is like entering a stage where the dance of color leads into infinity. It’s as if someone made music visible, as if melodies were poured over the ceiling: wild, elegant, and powerful. Rhythm pulsates in his work. Lines swirl, circle, and repel each other like improvised jazz sounds or an expressive dance. Trier was a master of gestural Baroque and playful Rococo painting. Each stroke expresses an inner movement and is part of a larger choreography. His canvas is not a static field but a resonance chamber. His colors leap, pause, and flow like sounds in space. This style was often inspired by his travels in France, Spain, Russia, and the United States.  

From June 13 to July 17, as part of the Ludwigsburg Festival and in cooperation with the Galerie Schlichtenmaier, selected works by Hann Trier will be on display in the old porcelain factory in the Ludwigsburg palace. On days when there is a concert in the palace, the exhibition will open one hour before the concert begins. The opening will take place on June 13 at 5 p.m. 

You can learn more about the artist at hanntrier.de