Monsters, devils and demons: every culture has them. Frightening and fascinating at the same time. The culture-bridging exhibition in the Park-Villa Rieter at the Museum Rietberg presents paintings, woodblock prints, drawings, textiles, netsuke (Japanese miniature sculptures), as well as a selection of Persian, Japanese, Indian and Swiss masks.

Artists portrayed the adversaries of both men and gods with much imagination and love for detail, depicting the ugly and deviant with either relish or foreboding, depending on the situation.

Often the works are associated with myths and legends in which a hero defeats the evildoer with courage or guile. The images often also contain a dash of humour, at times the monsters are even shown with a ‘human’ touch.