This special exhibition documents the development process of Slawomir Elsner's works in conjunction with the exhibition "In the Face of Man - Slawomir Elsner / Albrecht Dürer" opening at the same time in the Old Masters of the Dresden State Art Collections, showing drawings, sketches, preliminary studies and new works by Slawomir Elsner.

This special exhibition documents the development process of Slawomir Elsner's works to accompany the exhibition "In the Face of Man - Slawomir Elsner / Albrecht Dürer" in the Old Masters of the Dresden State Art Collections.On display are drawings, sketches, preliminary studies and new works by Sławomir Elsner.

At the suggestion of Dr Holger Jacob-Friesen, Director of the Old Masters Picture Gallery in Dresden, Sławomir Elsner began working on Albrecht Dürer's altarpiece "The Seven Sorrows of Mary" (1495/96). The 8-part altarpiece is in the collection of the Old Masters - albeit incomplete: The large centre panel of the standing Mary is missing. We have Dr Jacob-Friesen to thank for the idea of having this gap filled. He then began work on it in October 2025; this was followed by research into the altarpiece and the background to the painting's history, initial sketches and approaches to possible realisation variants. In the course of developing the centre panel, Sławomir Elsner decided to place an Eve and an Adam (both after Dürer) alongside the Madonna of Sorrows. Our exhibition aims to present the drawing process, which lasted several months, up to the "marriage" of Elsner's contemporary drawing and Dürer's historical altarpiece in the Semper Cabinet.