Sonderführung des AmerikahausesInteractive Tour of the Special Exhibition “Five Friends”
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Dear Members, Friends and Supporters of the AmerikaHaus NRW, dear Guests,
We cordially invite you to join us for a special museum visit:
Interactive Tour of the Special Exhibition “Five Friends”
with Karla Schlaepfer M.A.,
Art Historian, Founder of ArtTalks Cologne
Friday, October 24, 2025 | 4:00 p.m.
Museum Ludwig | Heinrich-Böll-Platz | 50667 Cologne
Five visionary Americans changed the way we see and experience art. John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Cy Twombly worked within overlapping circles of friendship. Their connections—sometimes personal, sometimes passionate—fueled creative exchange that transformed culture from the 1950s onward. From experimental music to radical dance and bold visual art, these five friends opened doors into new forms of expression that continue to shape contemporary culture today. Their friendships reveal relatively unknown cross-connections between the U.S. and Europe. American ideas traveled across the ocean, influenced European artists, and were in turn reshaped and brought back—a story of artistic risk-taking, cultural dialogue, and lasting influence.
Join Art Historian Karla Schlaepfer M.A. for an engaging ArtTalk in the special exhibition “Five Friends” at Museum Ludwig. Expect interaction, questions, and fresh insights into how friendships and exchange pushed modern art forward.
IMPORTANT! Please note that in order to participate you will have to purchase a ticket for this special exhibition at Museum Ludwig (regular admission price 15,40 EUR). The AmerikaHaus covers the tour fee. On the day of the event, we will meet in the museum entrance hall near the ticket counter at 3:45 PM.
We look forward to an enlightening afternoon with you!
Best regards,
Viktoria Harbecke and
the AmerikaHaus NRW e.V. Team
Karla Schlaepfer M.A.
studied Art History at UC Berkeley USA. She has been designing ArtTalks in Cologne and surrounding museums for almost 20 years now. As the founder of ArtTalks Cologne she has cultivated a community of art lovers and curious minds who meet regularly to discover new perspectives. Karla’s ArtTalks are interactive, never top-down, and often spark lively conversations that continue long after the museum visit. Alongside her work as an ArtTalker enthusiast, Karla is also a professional coach. She weaves her coaching experience into ArtTalks, encouraging participants to reflect, reframe, and connect ideas in new ways.