Heinrich Nüsslein

Heinrich Nüsslein (from Nuremberg) was one of the most prominent mediumistic artists of the early 20th century. Initially trained at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Nuremberg, he was forced to leave due to financial hardship and poor eyesight. After working as a photographer and antiques dealer—eventually amassing considerable wealth—his artistic practice began in 1923 following his participation in spiritual séances.

Nüsslein claimed to paint under spiritual guidance, often in near darkness and within minutes, using thin oil glazes applied and manipulated with cloth and his fingers. His visionary works—thousands in number—depict fantastical landscapes, mythic beings, and symbolic architectures that blend realism and abstraction. He also created “contact paintings,” translating the essence of music or individuals into color and form, and produced series he called Karmaschau(“karmic visions”).

Calling himself a “picture-writer,” Nüsslein believed masters like Albrecht Dürer guided his hand. His distinctive compositions evoke dreamlike stage sets with floating architectural elements and cipher-like figures. Although initially successful, his art was labeled “degenerate” under the Nazi regime in 1936, and his property was confiscated. Retiring to Ruhpolding, Bavaria, he continued to write about his work until his death in 1947.

The Collection of Mediumistic Art (CoMA) is a private collection assembled over 40 years by psychologist Elmar R. Gruber, whose lifelong interests in art, transpersonal psychology, and paranormal experience converged in his fascination with mediumistic creation. Initially drawn to the phenomenon as a student in the late 1970s, Gruber began acquiring works not out of a desire to form a collection, but to live among them and study the unique circumstances of their creation. His curiosity about the shared themes, symbols, and styles among artists who had no contact with one another—often separated by time, geography, and culture—eventually inspired him to formalize his holdings into a cohesive collection. Along the way, Gruber developed close relationships with several mediumistic artists, including Narciso Bressanello, Milly Canavero, Zory Lovari, and K. N. Narayana Murthy. Today, the CoMA includes over 1,700 works by more than 60 artists, revealing striking resonances and hidden connections across decades of spirit-inspired creativity.