Special exhibition Collections of Antiquities: Our Myths. Our Roots – Unsere Mythen. Unsere Wurzeln

15.10.2025 – 25.01.2026

FIDEM XXXVIII. World Exhibition of Modern Medallic Art

The world exhibition of modern medal art takes place in Munich for the first time (FIDEM XXXVIII). On display will be 500 art medals from over 30 countries, designed by 350 artists and oscillating between classical form and modern small sculpture. The works from Europe, Oceania, Asia and America, which have already won awards in their countries of origin, will enter into a dialog with each other under the heading “Our Myths – Our Roots”. The diversity of the countries is reflected in the objects, which open up different perspectives on current and timeless themes.

The medal is part of a 500-year-old tradition that originated in Renaissance Italy and found its most famous representative in Germany in Albrecht Dürer. Then as now, medals are usually double-sided, with the main side presenting the motif and the other a symbol as a commentary. While German or American medal art often takes up political themes, countries such as the Netherlands and Latvia are known for their avant-garde small sculptures. Japan and New Zealand, on the other hand, are particularly sensitive to indigenous traditions.

The exhibition is linked to the XXXVIII. Art Medal Congress Munich 2025, which will take place from October 15–18. The event is organized by the Bavarian State Coin Collection under the direction of the Fédération Internationale de la Médaille d’Art and its president Philip Attwood, former director of the British Museum London. The patron of the event is HRH Duke Franz of Bavaria. The venues are the State Coin Collection, the State Collections of Antiquities, the Central Institute for Art History and the Amerikahaus. The main exhibition in the State Collections of Antiquities will be enriched by a comprehensive program of lectures by leading medal experts, artist workshops and other exhibitions in the city.

Further information can be found on the website of the Munich State Coin Collection.

The images provided here may be used free of charge in the context of editorial reporting on the State Coin Collection and the State Collections of Antiquities and Glyptothek with reference to the exhibition “FIDEM XXXVIII. World Exhibition of Modern Medallic Art: Our Myths – Our Roots” may be used free of charge, provided the source is cited as © FIDEM. Use for commercial purposes is not permitted.