The early-Baroque palace on the Havel River holds more than 350 years of history. It is the oldest surviving pleasure palace from the era of the Great Elector in the Potsdam cultural landscape. And it is here that Lisa Schoefer presents her series "Orte der Demokratie" (Places of Democracy) as part of the art tour. Since 2019, she has been painting places where democracy becomes visible: government buildings, plenary halls, and historic sites across Europe.

To mark its 20th anniversary, the Meliá Berlin presents Lisa Schoefer, an artist who has spent years bridging different worlds, always painting directly on site: the German capital with its emblematic buildings, Europe's places of democracy, and the light-filled world of Mallorca. Opening reception: June 15, 2026, at 6:30 P

With my new catalog 'Orte der Demokratie' at 'Demokratie weiterdenken' at the Swiss Embassy, Berlin

Catalog of the State Chancellery of Saarland, on the occasion of the Bundesrat presidency of Minister-President Anke Rehlinger 2025 This catalogue presents my ongoing series Orte der Demokratie, in which she paints key democratic institutions and places across Europe and beyond directly on site, capturing both their historical significance and present atmosphere. Through these works, the project reflects on democracy as a fragile yet essential achievement, inviting viewers to

A new exhibition at the Plauen City Hall opens on October 7th and is dedicated to various places of democracy—worldwide. They were painted by the Berlin artist Lisa Schoefer.

In a DW interview, painter Lisa Schoefer talks about the project's origins: concern for Europe's future and a deepened appreciation for what the EU represents. Watching Brexit, Macron's rise with a brand-new party, rising nationalism on a trip to Poland, and a failed attempt to enter Belarus, she realized that democracy isn't a given everywhere, even within Europe, given how differently its nations have lived their history. Since 2019, she has traveled to paint the instituti

Given the international relevance of democracy in France and worldwide, the Sénat in Paris had selected my work for this exhibition from 11 to 22 September 2024. The visitors literally came from all over the world, strolling through the Jardin du Luxembourg and stopping by, but also Parisians inviting friends and family to see the exhibition once they had liked the idea and the paintings. The 32 paintings were represented in the very spacious and luminous Orangerie, giving th

Lisa Schoefer together with Manu Dreyer, Minister-President of Rhineland-Palatinate Exhibition "Orte der Demokratie", Quirinal Palace, Rome – Representation of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate to the European Union, Brussels.

After an extremely warm reception at the State Representation of Rhineland-Palatinat, my exhibition of the Symbols of Democracy paintings has just finished on December 14th. The exhibition combined paintings of the European, French and German institutions - the former government buildings in Bonn, the Bundesrat and the Bundestag as well as the Sénat in Paris. The paintings have been presented in the beautiful hall of the State Representation, flooded with light, for a month.

My current exhibition in Berlin at the state representation of Rhineland-Palatinate shows paintings of my Symbols-of-Democracy-Series. A team of the German television SWR came to shoot for their news program one day before the opening: In the television report, the painting of the view from the terrace of the state representation of Rhineland-Palatinate was a main subject. The view is extremely interesting: It combines the ancient Reichstag building with its glass dome, the A

I started painting the Hambacher Schloss, the German "cradle of Democracy", at the beginning of September. It is a beautiful, calm and almost spiritual place. The trees were still green, but when I had time to continue the painting at the beginning of October, the colours had changed to bright red and some yellow, and the sky was of an intense blue. Finishing now, at the beginning of November, some trees had lost their leaves already, and the clouds "painted" the sky in an en

- during a decisive week...

Enjoying the first warm days in Strasbourg and the flourishing trees in front of the European Parliament

I finished the chancellery during these last days. The morning light perfectly shows its architectural details, the bright colourful leaves on the walls at its sides add a natural and lively dimension to the rigour of the official building. The chancellery seen from the other side of the Spree is not so much a detailed view of the building but a play of the beautiful reflections on the water on an autumn afternoon, contrasting the geometrical architecture with their moving li

This painting of the Paul-Löbe-Haus and the Reichstag behind it perfectly illustrates the course of the seasons during my project. I had started with the bright summer light seeking shade, and now I was not only working with a heavy jacket, but the leaves of the red and yellow trees fell off day after day. The reflections of the low autumn sun show a great contrast to the colourful scenery of the trees and the historic building.

On the 30th anniversary of German reunification (October 3, 2020), a ceremonial event took place at the Berlin memorial site "Parliament of Trees Against War and Violence," where the then Minister of State for Culture, Monika Grütters, planted a memorial tree together with action artist Ben Wagin. For this anniversary, contemporary painter Lisa Schöfer presented her painting "East-West-Connection," created specifically for the occasion.

Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus - Calatrava Bridge - Reichstag - Berlin Wall My first painting of the Berlin government district this summer reflects the Mediterranean light, I started it like a watercolour, with only colour schemes to begin with. I then intensified the colours and put in the details of the building's architecture step by step. I was influenced by the Edward Hopper Basel Exhibition which I had seen in winter before the lockdown, and was happy to apply Hopper's r

European Parliament I painted two versions of the European Parliament, a big and a small canvas. With its 200x140 cm, transport of the big canvas was a challenge, but I thought a building of these dimensions had to be represented in an adequate way. The dimensions of the smaller canvas are 170 x 70 cm. European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights was my second project in Strasbourg after the European Parlament. I wanted to show the architect's idea of a s