Epic Fails – Tragic Heroes, Antiheroes, and Ambivalent Figures
We warmly invite you to the opening of our student-curated special exhibition on Friday, 17 April 2026 at 6:00 p.m. at the Collection of Classical Antiquities.
When we think of ancient myths, the images that usually come to mind are those of radiant heroes and all-powerful gods. Yet a closer look reveals a far more complex and shadowy world: one populated by tragic figures, antiheroes, and monsters against their will. Many of these stories are, in fact, stories of different kinds of failure.
The exhibition explores the great moments of such “epic fails” in three thematic sections:
Hubris and self-inflicted downfall – when arrogance, overconfidence, or the pursuit of power paves the way to ruin.
Loss of control and emotional extremes – when love, passion, hatred, or madness unleash their destructive force.
Inescapable fate – when even the greatest heroes cannot evade the downfall destined for them.
Even great heroes such as Heracles, and even the gods themselves, are not immune to downfall. Their stories speak of greatness and abyss, of glory and catastrophe—and reveal that failure is also a profoundly human experience. Epic Fails invites visitors to rediscover familiar myths as narratives about transgression, defeat, and the ambivalence of heroism.
Epic Fails invites visitors to rediscover well-known myths as stories about transgression, defeat, and the ambivalence of heroism.
The special exhibition was developed as part of a course held during the winter semester 2025/26, in collaboration with students of Classical Archaeology and the Liberal Arts program.
