Maladie 2.0
Meissen Porcelain Foundation Ten Years On
Museum, 21 March 2025 – 22 February 2026
Joys of Collecting. The Meissen Porcelain Foundation was established in late 2014 and entered service in 2015. It preserves Meissen porcelain as a cultural asset. One of its tasks involves looking after the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory’s historical collection.
The Manufactory’s founder Augustus the Strong referred to his passion for porcelain as a “maladie”. That literally means “illness” but merely reflects his boundless longing for the precious white gold. Generations of collectors have shared his enthralment ever since – as have active artists. Their porcelains document the invention, making and collecting of these delightful white objects. Manufactory staff in porcelain provide insights into the art-handiwork they incorporate. Jubilant collectors nurture their treasures. Artists play around with the concept of porcelain and in the process transform centuries-old work resources into contemporary porcelain art.
The exhibition sheds light on the Foundation’s work whilst also showcasing Meissen porcelains given over to the subject of collecting.
Maladie 2.0 exhibition promotional image (Jester by Olaf Fieber in the Meissen Porcelain Foundation Museum, copyright: MPS, photo: Daniel Bahrmann)
Exhibition - Artists in Residence 2009–2023
The Manufactory’s then director Max Adolf Pfeiffer ushered in an artistic heyday back in the 1920s by enlisting the services of outside artists to a far greater extent than hitherto, notably those of Ernst Barlach, Paul Scheurich and Gerhard Marcks. And it is still common practice at Meissen today to produce art objects for which no master models or potter’s moulds are made and which are truly “one-offs” as a result. Contemporary artists from home and abroad are regularly invited to Meissen for this purpose. They have the vast expertise amassed by the Manufactory and its artisan staff at their disposal during their stay in Meissen as they go about putting their ideas to effect. They are nevertheless free of artistic constraints and may operate in the fields of utilitarian wares or out-and-out art or, indeed, both.
The exhibition showcases items by artists from the most diverse of nations. The Manufactory’s artists-in-residence scheme has been taken up by creative minds from Syria, Tunisia and India but also from South Korea, the USA, Switzerland and, of course, Germany, and these have been a rich source of fresh stimuli.
The world‘s first organ made of MEISSEN porcelain
The world’s first organ to feature pipes made of MEISSEN Porcelain is a consummate example of porcelain art.
Augustus the Strong, founder of the Manufactory, had commissioned an organ with porcelain pipes to be made way back in the early 18th century. It was not until the year 2000 that the job was completed, though.
Guests from all over the world have been succumbing to the magic of music produced by MEISSEN Porcelain pipes ever since.
Listen to the contrast between wooden, metal and porcelain pipes, when they guide through ages like the museum does.
Dates: by prior arrangement
Price: € 200.-/group, € 1.- seating per person if group consists of more than 30 persons
Duration: 15-20 minutes
Digitally relive the invention of Europe’s first porcelain
In a new exhibition area, the Museum lets visitors delve into the mysterious origins of Meissen porcelain with the aid of a special multivisual presentation.
Dynamic lighting and vivid projections combine with historical exhibits in finest porcelain and, at their heart, the “Philosopher’s Stone” to bring the space dramatically alive. Text inserts and film sequences allow the Meissen Manufactory’s genesis more than 300 years ago to be interactively experienced – visitors learn much of interest about Johann Friedrich Böttger, famous alchemist and inventor of Meissen porcelain, and those who assisted him. There is no extra charge for this presentation, which can be viewed in either German or English.
„From "Snowball Blossoms" and the "Swan Service" all the way to contemporary sculptures – the Meissen manufactory’s legacy is unparalleled in the history of European porcelain.“
Daily Tours
- Personal Guided Tour in the Workshops - German Tour
During the personal guided tour, you will learn about the production of Meissen porcelain at various workplaces in the Demonstraion Workshop.
As low as €17.00
Incl. VATbooking - manufakTOUR 2025 - German tour
Gain some captivating impressions by joining us on a tour of discovery through the Manufactory’s production sites that will allow you to experience the cultural asset that is Meissen porcelain in a particularly intense way.
As low as €50.00
Incl. VATbooking - Behind the scenes Tour
Gain some captivating impressions by joining us on a tour of discovery through the Manufactory’s production sites that will allow you to experience the cultural asset that is Meissen porcelain in a particularly intense way.
As low as €50.00
Incl. VATbooking
