Accompanying Programs Showcase the Impact of Germany’s History on Early 20th- Century Art and Film
The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AMFA) opens a new exhibition on October 9, 2026, entitled The Age of Anxiety: German Expressionism in Art and Film. On view through January 10, 2027, in the Harriet and Warren Stephens Galleries, the exhibition highlights a radical time of artistic creation in Germany when both the rise of psychoanalysis and the tragedy of World War I had an indelible impact on society.
AMFA is the first U.S. museum to present this exhibition outside of Germany, pairing paintings and prints with scenes from the era’s silent films. AMFA’s Jackye and Curtis Finch, Jr., Curator of Drawings, Dr. Catherine Walworth, selected the art on view from a robust list of international loans and pulled from AMFA’s permanent collection to uncover several rarely seen drawings from the same period in history.
“I was thoughtful about uniquely tailoring The Age of Anxiety to create a time-traveling experience through 20th-century art and events while positing exciting visual comparisons between German Expressionist art and the films it influenced,” shares Walworth. “Dreams, visions, and creatures running amok are not just movie plots — they expressed real life anxieties for Germans at that time.”
The Age of Anxiety takes a bold look at an extraordinary modern movement that spilled over from avant-garde art to popular cinema. While Germany was in political and economic turmoil following World War I, prewar artists found new subjects, creating unforgettable art with jagged lines, shadowy settings, and unsettling beauty to reflect the energies and tensions of contemporary life.
Films of the 1920s took this to an imaginative new level, including creating a new brand of horror and science fiction. In The Age of Anxiety, nine of these films — including The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), Nosferatu (1921), and Metropolis (1927) — are presented side by side with art to create a startling visual outcry from one of the most pivotal eras in history whose legacy still impacts us today.
“With this exhibition, we are also presenting full-length screenings for three of the nine films,” adds Walworth. “I have chosen three of the most incredible cinematic works for everyone to experience together on the big screen, thanks to the museum’s state-of-the-art projection capabilities in the Performing Arts Theater.”
AMFA members and donors enjoy a first look at The Age of Anxiety during a reception on October 8. Subsequent film screenings and other programs offered throughout the run of the exhibition are free and open to the public. As with all AMFA exhibitions, admission is free.
Through a new scholar cohort — formed by AMFA with local university professors across a variety of disciplines — and a partnership with the UAMS Mindfulness Program, upcoming programs scheduled in conjunction with the exhibition allow museum guests of all ages to gain deeper insights into the German Expressionist movement and discover resources for processing this complex period of world history.
Related Events & Programs
Member Preview Night
October 8, 2026 / 5:00–8:00 p.m.
Experience an exclusive first look at the exhibition during a bespoke celebration featuring a German beer bar and live music.
This event is free for AMFA members, Circle Society, and corporate partners. Tickets are available at arkmfa.org/events.
Exhibition Tours
October 10, October 31, and December 12, 2026 / 2:00 p.m.
Enjoy a guided look at several carefully selected works on view in the exhibition and gain a richer understanding of 20th-century German art.
Tours are free, drop-in events.
Art Insights: The Age of Anxiety
November 15, 2026 / 6:00 p.m.
Discover how war, political upheaval, and rapid social change inspired one of the most influential art movements of the 20th century during this lecture given by Dr. Catherine Walworth, AMFA’s Jackye and Curtis Finch, Jr., Curator of Drawings.
This is a free event, and tickets are available at arkmfa.org/events.
Mindful Living
October 24, 2026; November 21, 2026; and January 9, 2027 / 11:00 a.m.
Led in collaboration with specialists from the UAMS Mindfulness Program, this series combines mindfulness practices, gallery tours, and guided discussions to explore ways to process periods of change and uncertainty.
This is a free, drop-in program.
Art on Film
Nosferatu – October 30, 2026 / 6:30 p.m.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – November 11, 2026 / 6:30 p.m.
Metropolis – January 8, 2027 / 6:30 p.m.
Watch full-length screenings of three films featured in The Age of Anxiety in AMFA’s Performing Arts Theater.
To introduce each film, Dr. Catherine Walworth, AMFA’s Jackye and Curtis Finch, Jr., Curator of Drawings, will give a brief presentation exploring the film’s artistic significance, historical context, and lasting impact.
Each screening is free, and tickets are available at arkmfa.org/events.
Art Insights: The Intersection of Art and Film
November 19, 2026 / 6:00 p.m.
Using paintings, prints, sculpture, and film, scholars Dr. Peter Chametzky and Dr. Susan Felleman, in conversation with Dr. Catherine Walworth, AMFA’s Jackye and Curtis Finch, Jr., Curator of Drawings, will examine how artists created emotionally charged works that reflect the human condition and critique the social conditions of their time.
This is a free event, and tickets are available at arkmfa.org/events.
Sponsors
The Age of Anxiety: German Expressionism in Art and Film is in cooperation with the Institute for Cultural Exchange and the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau Foundation.
This exhibition is generously presented by Anne and Merritt Dyke.
Member Preview Night is supported in part by Harrison Energy Partners. In-Kind support provided by Moon Distributors Inc. and O’Connor Distributing.
Mindful Living and Art Insights: The Intersection of Art and Film are supported in part by Art Bridges.
Art on Film is supported in part by Art Bridges and the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany Houston.
Artwork
Käthe Kollwitz (Königsberg, East Prussia, 1867 – 1945, Moritzburg, Germany), In Memoriam Karl Liebknecht, 1920, woodcut on paper, 26 3/4 x 31 7/8 in., On loan from the collection in the Willy-Brandt-House, Berlin, Germany. Photo © Jörg F. Müller, Berlin.
About the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts
Founded in 1937, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts is the largest cultural institution of its kind in the state, offering a unique blend of visual and performing arts experiences. AMFA is committed to featuring diverse media and artistic perspectives within its permanent collection as well as through rotating temporary exhibitions. AMFA’s international collection spans eight centuries, with strengths in works on paper and contemporary craft, and includes notable holdings by artists from Arkansas, the South, and across the United States and Europe.
With a vibrant mix of ideas, cultures, people, and places, AMFA extends this commitment to diversity through the innovative Windgate Art School, a dynamic children’s theatre and performing arts program, and community-focused educational programs for all ages. Located in Little Rock’s oldest urban green space, MacArthur Park, AMFA’s landmark building and grounds are designed by Studio Gang and SCAPE, in collaboration with Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects.