„Geh doch zu Momo“

In 2023, Michael Ende’s (1929–1995) most successful work, *Momo*, celebrates its 50th anniversary. Translated into more than fifty languages and sold over twenty million times worldwide, the book has become a classic while remaining strikingly relevant today. For the anniversary year, the Museum Werdenfels presents the exhibition “Geh doch zu Momo,” which explores the fairy-tale novel as well as the life and thought of Michael Ende. The question of the future of planet Earth and humanity runs like a red thread through his work.

Illustration (detail): Michael Ende, “Niemals-Gasse” (“Never Lane”), ink drawing, © Estate of Michael Ende (www.michaelende.de), represented by AVA international GmbH (www.ava-international.de)

Time for “Momo”

The exhibition begins with the writer’s childhood, follows his career and body of work, and also explores stage adaptations of his stories. At its center is “Momo,” a book that, even fifty years on, is more than just a children’s and young adult novel. It translates criticism of consumerism and capitalism into a poetic narrative: the little Momo owns nothing but time—only what she finds or what is given to her. When the Grey Gentlemen appear to take people’s lifetime away, it is up to Momo, with the help of a tortoise, to stand against the vast army of the Grey Gentlemen. Time itself becomes the central theme of the novel, as is also highlighted by the media art installation on “Momo” at the end of the exhibition.

Poet, Philosopher, Writer

Michael Ende was born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. His father, Edgar Ende (1901–1965), was a painter and, like his mother, belonged to the circle around the theologian Johannes Müller, who built Schloss Elmau. Growing up in a highly spiritual and intellectually charged family environment, the young Ende was encouraged early on, wrote poetry, and initially aspired to become an actor before ultimately choosing to become a writer. The exhibition presents a lesser-known, fascinating Michael Ende—someone who could be a serious, rational, clear thinker, socially critical and philosophically political, while at the same time being a deeply sensitive poet. In the sculptural installation created for the exhibition, his quotes and thoughts come together like papers from a card index, forming long ribbons of quotations that rise upward. On the level of the exhibits, works by Edgar Ende, photographs from his childhood and life, drawings from *Momo* and *The Neverending Story*, audio recordings from interviews and readings, as well as a stage design from the Düsseldorf Marionette Theatre all contribute to a multifaceted portrait of this exceptional writer.

Our recommendations for further impressions "Geh doch zu Momo"

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LUDWIGGALERIE Schloss Oberhausen

Fantastic Journey with Jim Button, Bastian and Momo
Michael Ende – Images and Stories
24 September 2023 – 14 January 2024