For the first time, this story is being told in an exhibition using top-class works of art. Never before has it been possible to experience the wide variety of roles played by the bee as vividly as in the Wiesbaden show. Surprising stories, instructive tales, philosophical ideas and astonishing allegories can be marveled at around this insect. Many of the stories are still touching today, because the bee has always been the inspiration for the visualization of general human feelings and ideals.

The exhibition brings together more than 140 exhibits from seven centuries: paintings, sculptures, drawings, graphics, caricatures, arts and crafts as well as medals and illustrated books. As an art and cultural history exhibition, it is aimed at a wide audience. It is signposted throughout in German and English. Special analog and digital communication formats are aimed at children, families and adults. The exhibition is made possible by generous loans from leading European museums and private collections, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Staatliche Museen Berlin, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg, the Musée des Arts Decoratifs in Paris and the Musei Reali in Turin.