When can the exhibition be visited?

The exhibition can be visited on November 6, 2026, from 11 am to 7 pm. It is open during the exhibition period from Tuesday to Sunday.

What is the admission price?

The single ticket costs 4 euros. A reduced ticket costs 3 euros, and a combination ticket for all exhibitions at the location costs 6 euros. Visitors up to 18 years have free admission.

Where does the exhibition take place?

The exhibition takes place at the Brandenburg State Museum for Modern Art at Diesel Power Station Cottbus, Uferstraße/Am Amtsteich 15, 03046 Cottbus.

What content does the exhibition showcase?

The exhibition showcases a presentation of posters by Fons Hickmann from over three decades. The focus is on design, typography, visual emphasis, and the societal impact of the medium of the poster.

Is the exhibition venue accessible for people with disabilities?

The exhibition venue is marked as wheelchair accessible. For specific information about access and special support offers, a direct inquiry to the museum is recommended.

How long does the exhibition visit last?

The duration depends on individual interest in the posters and the examination of the works. For a concentrated viewing, sufficient time should be planned for the analysis of the typographical and visual details.

Fons Hickmann Exhibition Cottbus 2026

Name: Fons Hickmann. Posters from today and before
Start: 2026-11-06T11:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-11-06T19:00:00+01:00
Location: Brandenburgisches Landesmuseum für Moderne Kunst - Dieselkraftwerk Cottbus

Fons Hickmann: Three decades of poster art between image, language, and society

The Brandenburg State Museum for Modern Art presents the exhibition Fons Hickmann. Posters from today and before at the Diesel Power Station Cottbus. The showcase gathers posters from over three decades and makes visible how precise design, visual emphasis, and societal communication interlink.

The poster as a public language

Fons Hickmann, born in 1966 in Hamm, is among the most prominent German graphic designers of the present. After studying communication design and photography in Düsseldorf as well as aesthetics and media theory in Wuppertal, he founded the Berlin studio Fons Hickmann m23 in 2001. His work spans graphic design, typography, photography, book design, and complex visual communication systems.

The centerpiece of the exhibition is the poster as an immediately accessible medium and also as a demanding form of visual argumentation. Text, color, surface, rhythm, and visual signs condense into compositions that not only inform but also direct perception and raise questions about the present.

Visual condensation and clear form

Hickmann's design is characterized by a concentrated visual language. Reduction does not appear as renunciation, but as a method: every typographical decision, every color field, and every displacement in the visual space contributes to the meaning. The examination of the works offers a glimpse into the aesthetic precision behind seemingly immediate messages.

The exhibition atmosphere thrives on the interplay between large-format impact and precise close-up views. From a distance, the posters unfold their visual presence; up close, typographical details, materiality, overlays, and formal tensions become legible. This creates an art experience that makes graphic design an independent art form.

Design history reflected in the present

The exhibition places Hickmann's poster work within the development of contemporary visual communication. His works connect art-historical traditions of poster art with digital image worlds and current societal questions. The poster appears as a time document, a cultural memory, and an instrument of public engagement.

Hickmann taught at the University of Applied Arts Vienna and at the University of the Arts Berlin. He is a member of international design organizations such as the Alliance Graphique Internationale, the Type Directors Club New York, and the Art Directors Club of Germany. His studio has received numerous international awards, including the Golden Bee Award, iF Awards, ADC Awards, LeadAwards, and Joseph Binder Awards. In 2012, Hickmann was honored with the Master’s Eye Award of the Triennale Trnava for his body of work.

A visit to the exhibition as an aesthetic experience

The exhibition is aimed at art enthusiasts, design lovers, students, and anyone who wishes to engage more consciously with the visual signs of everyday life. Cultural education arises here immediately from observation: visitors experience how complex meanings emerge from typographical decisions, photographic fragments, and graphic contrasts.

Fons Hickmann's posters challenge the quick glance and reward concentrated observation. Those who take the time will discover behind the clear surface a multi-layered engagement with publicness, media, memory, and social responsibility.

Conclusion: Experience poster art live at Diesel Power Station Cottbus

Fons Hickmann. Posters from today and before combines art-historical categorization with immediate visual impact. The exhibition showcases graphic design as a sensual, socially relevant, and intellectually open art form. A visit to the Diesel Power Station Cottbus promises an inspiring examination of the works and a lasting aesthetic experience.

Anyone who wants to understand how posters generate attention, make attitudes visible, and inscribe themselves into cultural memory should definitely experience this showcase live.