At first, there are only dots. Seen from a distance, they turn into light, which becomes sky and water, and eventually an entire landscape. At the Museum Barberini, the Symphony of Colour. Paul Signac and Neo-Impressionism exhibition (04.07.–11.10.2026) is dedicated to an artist who not only painted, but envisioned ideas for a more harmonious society. Together with Georges Seurat, Signac developed a technique at the end of the 19th century in which colors weren’t mixed on the palette, but on the canvas and in the viewer’s eye. Today it sounds contemporary, at the time, it was a radical attempt to connect perception, science, and art. The exhibition traces Signac’s journey from early landscapes to portraits and his famous depictions of the Côte d’Azur, where light seems to almost seep through the canvas. Along the way, visitors encounter not only him, but an entire generation of artists who experimented with color and sought new ways of seeing the world. More than 90 works can be discovered at the Museum Barberini on Alter Markt, including pieces by Henri-Edmond Cross, Camille Pissarro, Georges Seurat, and Théo van Rysselberghe. In August, this light moves into the courtyard, filling an even larger screen. During the Barberini Summer Cinema, French classics are shown under the open sky on three Thursdays. Popcorn, DJ sounds, and pre-screening talks moderated by Knut Elstermann and Gesa Ufer set the tone. The program includes Jacques Tati’s delightfully idiosyncratic Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (06.08.), Jean-Luc Godard’s Le Mépris (13.08.), and La Piscine starring Alain Delon and Romy Schneider (20.08.). The perfect August day? First walk through the exhibition, then sit in the courtyard and travel to the French coast as dusk falls.
Text: Emma Zylla / Credits: Paul Signac, Segel und Pinien, 1886, Private Collection; Maximilien Luce: Der Hafen von Saint-Tropez, 1893, Private Collection; Photo: Helge Mundt
Museum Barberini, Humboldtstr.5–6, 14467 Potsdam; map
Symphony of Colors. Paul Signac and Neo-Impressionism 04.07.–11.10.2026
Barberini Summer Cinema 06., 13. & 20.08.2026
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