Christmas exhibition at the Torgau Museum

The special exhibition "Nativity scenes from around the world" at the Torgau Museum will be open from 18 November 2023 to 10 February 2024. On display are nativity scenes from different peoples from four continents. Over the past 25 years, collector Marita Pesenecker has brought together zirka 300 nativity scenes. The diversity of the design and the variety of materials used, due to the different cultures and temperaments of the peoples, aroused her interest. Not only the first appearance and reception of Jesus are depicted, but also the presence of the Saviour today. The extraordinary variety of nativity scenes, in which the birth scene is "clothed" in customs and traditions typical of the country, is a sign of Christ's presence among the people.

The variety of forms in which the different nativity scenes - whether from Mexico, Poland, Provence, Italy, Tyrol or Germany - differ from one another shows that the peoples have translated the message of salvation directly into their own language.
The materials used to create the nativity scenes are just as varied as the shapes, for example olive wood and mother-of-pearl from Mexico: Olive wood and mother-of-pearl from Israel, straw and bread dough from Ecuador, ivory and ebony from Tanzania, bamboo from China, bronze and brass from Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Ghana, cork from Portugal, corn leaf from the Czech Republic, from Kenya and South Africa and tin foil from Krakow; also paper, cardboard, papier-mâché, plaster, tin, lead, wax and, above all, wood and clay.