Art collections

The Curator looks after the monuments and artworks belonging to the Friedrich Schiller University. The art collection was founded as early as the 16^th century and contains paintings, drawings, sculptures, university medals, and other objects of craftsmanship. The University’s insignia and the gowns for academic ceremonies are also kept here.

Key objects in the collection include a series of portraits of Jena University professors covering five centuries, monumental paintings by important artists such as Ferdinand Hodler, Ludwig von Hofmann, and Erich Kuithan, as well as sculptures, such as the ‘Minerva’ by Auguste Rodin. Modern artists such as Frank Stella, Imi Knoebel, and Emil Schumacher are also represented.

Many busts of historical figures adorn public spaces in Jena, for example along the Via triumphalis, where such sculptures line Fürstengraben as a memorial to people who were important to the University and the town. On the university campus on Ernst-Abbe-Platz you cannot miss the four tirmodern sculptures from the Hudson River Valley Series by US artist Frank Stella.