Where the Lemons Glow
Villa Massimo Visits Weimar | Opening Weekend, July 23–26
From July 23 to 26, 2026, Weimar will host, for the first time, a festival of art and cultural events as part of a joint presentation by the German Academy in Rome, Villa Massimo featuring two academic cohorts. Under the title “Where the Lemons Glow – Villa Massimo Visits Weimar,” 22 Rome Prize laureates from the 2024/25 and 2025/26 cohorts in the fields of architecture, art, literature, and composition will showcase their work at renowned partner institutions as well as in public spaces throughout the city. The opening weekend marks the start of the festival, while the exhibitions will remain on view in Weimar for several months afterward.
Every two years, Villa Massimo embarks on a guest residency in Germany with two academic cohorts. Each time, a city from a different federal state serves as the host. A traveling Villa Massimo Biennale has now become established, taking on different forms depending on the host’s capabilities. “We are delighted that Weimar’s most important institutions are among our hosts and are lending this year’s festival a character all its own. For the first time, the ACC Galerie Weimar will illustrate the creative process through ideas, realizations, and even experiences of failure. Another new development is that the Rome Prize laureates are also integrated into the educational programs of the host countries, thanks to the commitment of the Bauhaus University Weimar and the Franz Liszt University of Music. Is there a better way to share what they have experienced and learned in Rome with their home country?” Dr. Julia Draganović, Director of Villa Massimo.
The 2024/25/26 Rome Prize laureates include Thomas Brussig, writer; Ann Cotten, writer and translator; David Grossman, writer; Almut Grüntuch-ErnstandArmand Grüntuch, Grüntuch Ernst Architects; Benedikt Hartl, architect; Stefan Kaegi with Caroline Barneaud, director and curator; Kyung-Ae Kim, architect; Malika Kishino, composer; Alicja Kwade, visual artist; Fabien Lévy, composer; Hanne Lippard, visual artist; Tobias Nolte & Max Schwitalla, architects; Peter Piller, visual artist; Lola Randl, writer and filmmaker; Sina Fani Sani, composer; Hans Thomalla, composer; Andrea Winkler & Stefan Panhans, visual artists; Barbara Yelin, illustrator and author.
PROGRAM
July 23
11:00 a.m. |Bauhaus University Weimar, Oberlichtsaal: Press Conference
4:00 p.m. | Römisches Haus: Opening ceremony with musical performance
7:00 PM | ACC Galerie Weimar: Where the Lemons Glow. Notes—Sheet Music—News. 18 Glimpses into the Studios of Villa Massimo. Exhibition opening (runs through October 4).
With Thomas Brussig, Ann Cotten, David Grossman, Grüntuch Ernst Architects, Benedikt Hartl, Stefan Kaegi with Caroline Barneaud, Kyung-Ae Kim, Malika Kishino, Alicja Kwade, Fabien Lévy, Hanne Lippard, Tobias Nolte & Max Schwitalla, Peter Piller, Lola Randl, Sina Fani Sani, Hans Thomalla, Andrea Winkler & Stefan Panhans, Barbara Yelin.
July 24
11:00 a.m. | Buchenwald Memorial: Emmie Arbel. The Color of Memory. An exhibition featuring photographs by Barbara Yelin. Exhibition opening (on view through October 25, 2026).
3:30 p.m. | Bauhaus University Weimar: Arcadia! Artists’ Residencies in Rome from Goethe to Villa Massimo. Lecture by Gregor Lersch.
5:00 PM | M BOOKS: Exhibition opening and artist talk. Architectural Perspectives. Featuring Grüntuch Ernst Architects, Benedikt Hartl, and Kyung-Ae Kim (runs through September 5, 2026).
7:30 PM | Franz Liszt University of Music, Festsaal Fürstenhaus: Opening concert as part of the Weimar Master Classes with ensemble via nova. Compositions by Villa Massimo visiting professors Malika Kishino, Hans Thomalla, Fabien Lévy, and Sina Fani Sani.
July 25
2:00 p.m. | Bauhaus Museum: Exhibition opening. Performance by Hanne Lippard and Renato Grieco. Works by Alicja Kwade, Tobias Nolte, and Andrea Winkler & Stefan Panhans (on view through September 7, 2026).
6:00 PM–10:00 PM | Duchess Anna Amalia Library, Study Center: La notte della letteratura – Literary evening with musical accompaniment. Featuring Thomas Brussig, Ann Cotten, Lola Randl, and Barbara Yelin. Moderated by Denis Scheck.
July 26
11:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m. | Lichthaus Cinema: Film Matinee. Featuring films by Lola Randl, Andrea Winkler & Stefan Panhans.
July 24 – August 3
Posters featuring photographs from Peter Pillers’ Peripheral Wanderings Around Rome will also be on display in public spaces throughout Weimar.
About the German Academy in Rome, Villa Massimo www.villamassimo.de
The Villa Massimo Rome Prize is the most prestigious award given to German artists or those living in Germany in the fields of architecture, visual arts, literature, and music composition. Each year, nine individuals or collectives are given the opportunity to spend ten months living and working in Rome. The German Academy in Rome was founded by the entrepreneur Eduard Arnhold and his wife Johanna, once prominent figures in Berlin’s Jewish philanthropic community, who purchased the property, had the main building and the studios with apartments constructed, and then donated the entire estate to the Prussian state. Today, creative artists can apply for the Rome Prize.
The German Academy in Rome, Villa Massimo, is an institution under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Participating partners and venues include the ACC Galerie Weimar, the German Academy in Rome Villa Massimo, the Bauhaus University Weimar, the Franz Liszt University of Music Weimar, the Weimar Classical Foundation (including the Roman House, the Duchess Anna Amalia Library, and the Bauhaus Museum Weimar), L’Arte al Massimo, the Lichthaus Kino Weimar, M BOOKS, and the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation.
The project is funded by the Thuringian Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture; the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, including Sparkasse Mittelthüringen; the Sparkassen-Kulturstiftung Hessen-Thüringen and the Sparkassen-Kulturfonds of the German Savings Banks and Giro Association; the Kulturstiftung der Länder; and the City of Weimar.
Information: www.villamassimo.de
[3 July 2026]