The Barlach Kunstmuseum Wedel has opened a new and powerful exhibition dedicated to one of the most influential artists of all time: Michael Jackson. Titled “This Is It”, the exhibition explores the pop icon not only as a global superstar but as a complex cultural phenomenon, a mirror of modernity’s dreams, contradictions, and longings.
From October 11, 2025, to March 29, 2026, visitors are invited to rediscover Michael Jackson’s artistic world across three floors filled with rare photos, concert posters, iconic outfits, music videos, and personal insights. The exhibition takes its title from the comeback concert series that Jackson was preparing for in 2009, one that the world never got to see.
Curated by Jürgen Doppelstein, “This Is It” is not a shrine to stardom but an exploration of what made Michael Jackson both celebrated and controversial. It examines his groundbreaking dance innovations, his boundary-pushing music, and his deep social and environmental messages through songs like Man in the Mirror, Heal the World, and Earth Song.
Highlights include the film “This Is It”, documenting Jackson’s final rehearsals at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, as well as biographical texts and interviews that offer rare insight into the artist’s emotional and creative life.
Doppelstein explains that the goal is to show “the person in all his breadth, in all his facets” — the genius, the visionary, and the human being behind the myth.
Exhibition Details
Title: Michael Jackson – This Is It
Location: Barlach Art Museum Wedel
Address: Ernst Barlach Museum, Wedel, Germany
Dates: October 11, 2025 – March 29, 2026
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday and public holidays, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Website: www.ernst-barlach.de/exhibition/michael-jackson
Admission:
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Adults: €12 per person
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Reduced (pupils, students, groups of 10+): €10 per person
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Registered school classes: €3 per person
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School classes from Wedel: Free admission
