From February 2, 2013, to April 21, 2013, Villa Schöningen is showcasing 36 works of abstract and informal art from the 1950s and 1960s.

The exhibition provides insights into the creative processes of German artists in the post-war era. The exhibition features works by:

Max Ackermann, Josef Albers, Hans Arp, Willi Baumeister, Peter Brüning, Carl Buchheister, Rolf Cavael, Emil Cimiotti, Karl Fred Dahmen, Adolf Fleischmann, Winfred Gaul, Rupprecht Geiger, Otto Greis, K. O. Götz, Otto Herbert Hajek, Hans Hartung, Gerhard Hoehme, Heinz Kreutz, Norbert Kricke, Brigitte Meier-Denninghoff, Georg Meistermann, Ernst Wilhelm Nay, Otto Ritschl, Bernard Schultze, Emil Schumacher, K. R. H. Sonderborg, Walter Stöhrer, Hann Trier, Heinz Trökes, Fred Thieler, Hans Uhlmann, Theodor Werner, and Fritz Winter.

After World War II, an avant-garde art movement emerged, first in France and then in Germany, characterized primarily by abstraction and a departure from representational art. In Germany, artist groups like ZEN 49 in Munich, Quadriga in Frankfurt, and Group 53 in Düsseldorf formed and embraced the new artistic direction. Key works from this period and pieces by central artistic figures are brought together in the exhibition at Villa Schöningen. In addition to providing insight into the 1950s and 1960s, the exhibition aims to highlight the pioneering significance of abstraction, especially Informalism, for the subsequent developments in art. The exhibition is made possible through the generous loans from Sylvia and Ulrich Ströher.