When is the exhibition open

The gallery is accessible during Town Hall hours: Mon, Tue, Thu 8:30 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 16:00, Wed and Fri 8:30 to 12:00. Further information will follow.

Is there an admission fee

Admission is free. No ticket reservations are required.

Are there guided tours or educational offerings

Information will follow. If you have questions, it is recommended to contact the cultural office by phone or email.

Can I take photos in the exhibition

Information will follow. Generally, consideration for artworks and other visitors is required. Please observe local instructions.

How do I reach the Gallery in the Town Hall Aalen

The gallery is centrally located at Marktplatz 30 in Aalen. Arrive on foot from the city center, by public transport to the bus station and then on foot. Parking options are available in the surrounding parking garages.

Is the exhibition accessible for people with disabilities

Information will follow. For current accessibility notes, please contact the cultural office of the city of Aalen directly.

Discover Rudolf Haegele: Material, Myth, and Painting in Aalen Today

Name: Exhibition: Rudolf Haegele (1926–1998) – For His 100th Birthday
Start: 2026-05-21T10:30:00+02:00
End: 2026-07-05T14:00:00+02:00
Location: Galerie im Rathaus Aalen

Rudolf Haegele in Aalen: Experience Material, Myth, and Painting Anew

To celebrate the 100th birthday of painter Rudolf Haegele, who grew up in Aalen, the Gallery in the Town Hall of Aalen presents a carefully curated exhibition of his multifaceted painting and artistic ideas. The art experience leads into an exhibition atmosphere where earthy color fields, relief-like structures, and inscribed signs condense the exploration of the works into an aesthetic experience between history and the present.

Biographical Context and Art Historical Placement

Rudolf Haegele, born in 1926 in Aalen and deceased in 1998 in Remseck, influenced generations of artists as a painter and university lecturer at the State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart. His works combine gestural painting, mixed media, and a deep interest in cultural layering. Recurring themes such as revolt, memory, and humanity anchor his work between post-war art, informal, and figurative narrative.

Material as Memory: Mixed Media, Plaster, and Palimpsest

In Haegele's paintings, color, plaster, and text particles intertwine to form palimpsest-like surfaces. Scraped areas open up sedimented layers of paint; fine lines, fragments of words, and symbols emerge. This tactile painting unfolds a special spatial effect: Light caresses the rough areas, shadows model edges – creating an intense dialogue of surface, depth, and time.

Stained Glass and Public Space

Apart from painting, Haegele realized numerous stained glass windows for municipal and sacred spaces in southwestern Germany. The exhibition emphasizes this expanded field of work as an independent visual language: translucent color areas, structured lead rods, and iconic motifs testify to the range between studio painting and architecture-related art.

Curating, Work Exploration, and Education

The presentation focuses on significant cycles and key works, makes material processes readable, and sharpens the view of Haegele's visual thinking. Mediation texts and spatial accents guide the exploration of works from thematic recognition to formal analysis: composition, stroke, color harmony, and the semantic role of written signs. Thus, cultural education visibly grows from contemplation.

Visitor Experience: Times, Admission, Orientation

The Town Hall of Aalen is centrally located at the marketplace; the gallery is accessible during the Town Hall opening hours. Admission is free. For a focused visit, the morning is recommended; here the quiet lighting of the spaces can be ideally utilized for close observation and serial comparison.

Conclusion: This exhibition brings together painting full of inner tension and material presence. Those who understand art as a condensed memory of time will experience a profound aesthetic experience here – a compelling reason to rediscover Rudolf Haegele in his hometown.