A 200-year-old museum in the middle of Germany is experiencing an unexpected surge of visitors, and it’s all thanks to Taylor Swift. Museum Wiesbaden has become a pilgrimage site for Swifties after fans discovered that a painting hanging on its walls likely inspired the opening scene of the pop star’s latest music video.
The video for “The Fate of Ophelia,” the first track from Swift’s blockbuster album The Life of a Showgirl, opens with the singer portraying Ophelia, Shakespeare’s tragic heroine. (High-school refresher: In Hamlet, Ophelia drowns in a river after her lover accidentally kills her father — a dark tale that’s captivated artists for centuries.) Released earlier this month, Swift’s video racked up more than 27 million YouTube views in just three days.
Sharp-eyed fans — who apparently know their art history — quickly noticed the striking resemblance between Swift’s scene and Friedrich Heyser’s painting of Ophelia from around 1900. Heyser was a German painter known for his romantic, symbolist works during the Art Nouveau period. His wispily romantic image shows Ophelia’s parted rosebud lips and lifeless body surrounded by water lilies. (The painted woman does sort of look like Taylor Swift!)
“We are having an absolute Ophelia run at the moment and are quite surprised and happy about it,” museum spokesperson Susanne Hirschmann told The Guardian. “It’s been a shock, to be honest.”
The discovery came from an unlikely source: a museum employee’s friend, a Swift fan, spotted the similarity and alerted the staff. While the museum hasn’t been able to reach Swift’s team, word spread rapidly on social media, and fans wasted no time making the trek to Wiesbaden.
On the weekends, some 500 people have been visiting specifically to see Heyser’s painting, shown below, a dramatic spike for the previously obscure artwork. Young women and girls have been posing for photos in front of it, bringing an unusually teen-heavy crowd to the museum’s halls. And, dare we say, a dash of life to the tragic story.
More Swift-inspired fun at Museum Wiesbaden — and what else is inside
The museum is capitalizing on its newfound fame: Visitors can now embark on a Swift-inspired scavenger hunt inspired by lyrics from the artist’s popular songs. Guests will explore the permanent exhibitions on art and nature, looking for Swift-esque clues and Easter eggs (grab the instructions at the welcome desk) to turn the museum into a self-guided, quest-style adventure. There’s also a monthly raffle awarding winners.
The museum’s permanent collection encompasses works from the 12th century to the present, all organised in three parts: the Old Masters, Classical Modernism, and the Modern and Contemporary Art Collections. Visitors will wander through exhibits dedicated to natural history, too. Even beyond Ophelia, there’s loads to appreciate and explore.
Museum Wiesbaden is open every day except Monday, 10AM to 5PM (with late nights on Thursdays). Tickets are €8.