11.06.2026
Lecture by Horst Bredekamp at Mischa Kuball’s exhibition NEWTON | GOETHE | GALILEO
Thursday, 2026/6/11, 7 pm | Casa di Goethe, Rom /ITA
Based on the work five suns / after Galileo from the Schnetkamp Collection Düsseldorf, which is featured in the exhibition, this lecture explores Galileo Galilei’s revolutionary observations of sunspots in the early 17th century.
Horst Bredekamp demonstrates how Galileo, with the aid of the telescope, not only made new astronomical phenomena visible but also challenged the previously dominant image of a perfect heavens. His observations marked a fundamental shift in the understanding of nature and the cosmos and opened up new avenues of scientific knowledge.
The focus here is on the role of images: Galileo’s drawings and sketches are not understood as mere documentation, but as independent tools of thought and cognition. By combining art history, history of science, and image theory, the lecture offers a fascinating perspective on Galileo as a pioneer of visual modernity.
The lecture will be held in Italian; the text is also available in German. Registration is not required.
© Archive Studio Mischa Kuball, Portrait Horst Bredekamp: Barbara Herrenkind