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Animals Are Only Humans Too

13.11.2025–3.5.2026

Sculptures by August Gaul

The Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung presents a major exhibition on August Gaul (1869–1921), one of Germany’s first modern sculptors. Around one hundred animal sculptures made of bronze, ceramic, and marble enter into dialogue with sculptures from three millennia.

    Ticket promotion: Get discounted admission to the exhibition with your zoo ticket

    For the duration of the special exhibition “Animals Are Only Humans Too. Sculptures by August Gaul”, adults, children and adolescents (aged 6–17) will receive a one-time discount on a day ticket to Frankfurt Zoo upon presentation of their ticket to the Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung: adults pay 10 euros instead of 12 euros, children and young people 5 euros instead of 6 euros.

    Conversely, a one-time reduced admission price applies to the exhibition at the Liebieghaus upon presentation of a day ticket from Frankfurt Zoo (till receipt). Adults then pay 8 euros instead of 10 euros on weekdays and 10 euros instead of 12 euros on weekends.

    This offer is valid from 13 November 2025 to 3 May 2026. The above discounts only apply to day tickets and cannot be combined with other discounts. Special events are excluded.

  • “Gaul’s sculptures combine tenderness with austere clarity. For the first time in European art history, he depicts animals as independent individuals.”

    Vinzenz Brinkmann, curator of the exhibition and head of the Liebieghaus Department of Antiquities

  • “As a lively venue for viewing sculpture, the Liebieghaus allows visitors to experience how August Gaul’s modern visual language interacts with the long history of sculpture.”

    Philipp Demandt, Director of the Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung

Programme

    Exhibition Highlight Tour

    Animals are only Humans too. Sculptures by August Gaul

    Between quiet presence and individual dignity: With precise observation of nature and a clear, reduced formal language, sculptor August Gaul created impressive animal figures. Join the guided tour for an introduction to his multifaceted, modern work in bronze, ceramic, and marble. Experience its dialogue with sculptures from five millennia in the Liebieghaus Sculpture Collection – the animal between myth, symbol of power and autonomous being.

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    Individually Bookable Offers

    Please contact us to arrange your group visit—even if you do not wish to book a guided tour.

    Booking and advice

    Telephone: +49(0)69-605098-200
    E-Mail:

    Please request appointments for group offerings using the form provided.

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Exhibition Texts

For selected artworks in the exhibition, you can find additional texts in a downloadable PDF booklet:

About the Exhibition

August Gaul is considered to be one of the pioneers of modern sculpture in Germany. Through his depictions of animals, he liberated the motif from centuries-old symbolism, developing a new sculptural language that had a lasting impact on the 20th century. Alongside his impressive, life-size sculptures of lions and apes, Gaul also turned his attention to animals that had previously been overlooked in art, including donkeys, geese and ducks.

The exhibition showcases Gaul’s work within the context of his exploration of the relationship between art and science, while also shedding light on socially relevant issues of his time. The theme of the close relationship between humans and animals runs like a thread through the entire exhibition.

A particular highlight is the larger-than-life eagle in the museum garden, which the artist originally created for the Kaiser Wilhelm National Monument in Berlin. Unlike traditional heroic depictions, the bird is shown here landing on its nest—an impressive example of Gaul’s artistic programme of replacing the animal’s political symbolism with its natural behaviour. His work aligns with contemporary scientific research and the study of animal psychology, such as that of Charles Darwin.

For the first time, the exhibition shows almost the entire important private Frankfurt collection of Carlo Giersch and is supplemented by numerous loans from Berlin, Hamburg, Hanau and Leipzig. Almost all areas of the Liebieghaus are included, allowing Gaul's work to enter into an exciting, multifaceted dialogue with the collection.

Curator: Prof Dr Vinzenz Brinkmann (Head of the Department of Antiquities and Asia, Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung)
Project Manager: Jakob Salzmann (Curatorial Assistant, Department of Antiquities and Asia, Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung)

Sponsors

Sponsored by: Stiftung Giersch, Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain gGmbH, Städelscher Museums-Verein e.V., Frankfurter Volksbank Rhein/Main, Kristine & Matthias Meckert

Culture Partner: hr2-kultur