At the end of October 206 the time has come - the Kunsthalle Bremen opens the exhibition “The Dachshund: An Icon Goes for a Walk”. In the run-up to the opening, World Dachshund Day on June 21st offered owners the perfect opportunity to meet their dachshunds in front of the museum.
Reason enough for photographer Alexandra Polina and Spiegel Magazine to also stop by Bremen.
The resulting series is entitled “World Dachshund Day: When did the stuffy breed become cool?” and highlights the interesting change of the dachshund from the former “bourgeois dog” to a modern lifestyle accessory and social media phenomenon.
For decades in Germany, the dachshund was considered the epitome of bourgeoisie - often associated with bobbleheads on the hat rack right next to the crocheted toilet paper roll cover. But Kaiser Wilhelm II was already an enthusiastic dachshund fan and at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, the mascot “Waldi”, a stylized dachshund, was selected by the German committee. The Rainbow Waldi went down in the history of the Olympic Games as the very first official mascot.
Today, world stars like Kylie Jenner, models and influencers show themselves with the animals - which has sparked huge popularity hype. Recently, the newly crowned Grand Slam winner Alexander Zverev took his dachshund Mishka with him to the winner's photos at his very first Grand Salm victory, the French Open in 2026.
The article celebrates the close-knit community of dachshund owners, for whom the “you” is a given among each other - and celebrates the humorous but also idiosyncratic characteristics of these special and idiosyncratic dogs.
The Kunsthalle Bremen is dedicating its own, comprehensive special show to the dachshund under the title “The Dachshund: An Icon Goes for a Walk,” which will be on view from October 31, 2026 to March 28, 2027. The exhibition examines the race humorously and art-critically as a muse, pop culture phenomenon and loyal companion of artists.
Around 100 to 120 exhibits from five centuries can be seen, including works by Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Max Liebermann and Otto Dix.
And for the first time, real dogs (up to a shoulder height of 30 centimeters) are allowed into the exhibition rooms at certain times. What's more: Every Thursday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. is Dachshund Thursday! And there is even a specially designed “Dachshund Lounge” for waiting times.
With over 200 years of history and an important collection from the media age to the present, the Kunsthalle Bremen is one of the leading art museums in Germany. Supported by the traditional art association in Bremen, the house on the edge of the old town regularly presents internationally acclaimed special exhibitions in addition to its masterpieces.
The photographer Alexandra Polina, known for her colorful, unconventional and unmistakable style, is represented by the Hamburg agency JULIA WALDMANN.
GoSee : kunsthalle-bremen.de