“Nobel Heroes” in Berlin – Opening of “Lindau Nobel” at Gendarmenmarkt

On 18 May 2026, the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings will open “Lindau Nobel” at Berlin’s Gendarmenmarkt – marking a double anniversary: 25 years of “Nobel Heroes”, the world’s unique portrait project for which photographer Peter Badge has visited and photographed more than 500 Nobel Laureates across the globe since the year 2000 – and 75 years of the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, which have brought together Nobel Laureates and the world’s most talented Young Scientists on Lake Constance every summer since 1951.

Science with a Human Face

Nobel Laureates can seem like inhabitants of a different world – distant figures of exceptional intellect, elevated far beyond ordinary life. “Nobel Heroes” challenges that perception. With simplicity and quiet curiosity, the project brings us face to face with the human beings behind the achievements: their warmth, their vulnerability, their mystery.

It was his first encounter with the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings that captivated Peter Badge – drawing him toward the individuals behind the discoveries and toward the question of what drives a person to devote their life to science. That fascination became the foundation of a long-term photographic project, commissioned by the Lindau Meetings in 2000, originally in cooperation with the Smithsonian Institution and the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., as well as the Deutsches Museum, and ever since co-funded by the Klaus Tschira Foundation. Its ambition was quietly radical from the outset: to photograph every living Nobel Laureate not as an icon, but as a person.

An Evening of Encounters

The opening on 18 May brings together science, society, and photography for an evening of singular character. Countess Bettina Bernadotte af Wisborg, President of the Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, and Prof. Dr. Jürgen Kluge, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation, will officially open the exhibition. The highlight of the evening will be a moderated conversation with Nobel Laureate Stefan W. Hell, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences.

Hell was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2014 for overcoming one of the seemingly insurmountable limits of natural science: with the development of STED microscopy, he broke through a physical barrier considered absolute since the 19^th century – enabling scientists for the first time to visualize living cells at the nanometre scale. His discovery has fundamentally transformed biology, medicine, and basic research to this day.

Following the official programme, the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings invite guests to a reception – an opportunity to raise a glass to two special anniversaries and bring the evening to a close in good company.

Prelude to a Historic Year

The Berlin opening marks the beginning of an extraordinary year for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings. With the permanent exhibition at Gendarmenmarkt, the Lindau Meetings establish a lasting presence in the German capital – a living hub at the intersection of art, science and public dialogue, and a permanent bridge between the unique format of the Lindau Meetings and the audiences of Berlin. From 28 June to 3 July 2026, the 75^th Lindau Meeting (#LINO75) will bring together around 75 Nobel Laureates and more than 600 Young Scientists from across the globe in Lindau – to debate the most pressing questions of our time: from artificial intelligence and quantum technologies to global health, scientific integrity, and the future of international cooperation. What begins in Berlin continues in Lindau.

About “Nobel Heroes”

“Nobel Heroes” is a long-term portrait project by photographer Peter Badge, created since 2000 on behalf of the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings. Badge has since visited and photographed more than 500 living Nobel Laureates around the world. The project is co-funded by the Klaus Tschira Foundation.

Event Details

Monday, 18 May 2026 · Doors open 18:00 · Programme begins 18:30

WissenschaftsForum Berlin · Markgrafenstraße 37 · 10117 Berlin
in the premises of Lindau Nobel at the WissenschaftsForum –
for media registration/accreditation, please contact Stephan Clausen via clausen@ketano.de.