Exhibitions
The Würtz Collection has been presented publicly on only a few occasions since it was first assembled in the early twentieth century. The first display took place in Berlin in 1932, organised by Heinz Würtz at the Oskar-Helene-Heim institute as part of the landmark project Der Krüppel in der Kunst. Soon afterwards most of the collection was transferred to Prague, where it remained safely but largely unseen for decades.
In recent years the collection has gradually returned to public view through a small number of international exhibitions. These presentations have helped recover an important chapter in the cultural history of disability while bringing the works to new audiences. After nearly a century marked by war, political change and movement across institutions and countries, the survival of the Würtz Collection is remarkable.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of all our partners who have helped make these exhibitions possible.
In 1932, the Berlin exhibition Der Krüppel in der Kunst: Zu der Ausstellung im Oskar-Helene-Heim (The Cripple in Art) displayed artworks on disability from the collection of Oskar-Helene-Heim director Heinz Würtz. Please note, Krüppel” is a historical term retained here as part of the original exhibition title.
Presented in 2013 at the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague, Disabled by Normality marked the first time the Würtz Collection was exhibited in the Czech Republic and its first public presentation in the modern era.
Presented in 2025 at the Humboldt Forum, Bilder von Behinderung (Images of Disability) returned works from the Würtz Collection to the city where they were originally assembled before the collection was dispersed and later preserved at a disability institute in Prague.
Presented in 2026 at MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art)—host venue of the 2026 Turner Prize—Images of Disability introduced works from the Würtz Collection to UK audiences for the first time.
Please see this link for the transcript.