Die Ausstellung zeigt Bilder eines modernen Malers.

The exhibition shows pictures by a modern painter.

Breakdown of Die Ausstellung zeigt Bilder eines modernen Malers.

• zeigen: to show
• modern: modern
• die Ausstellung: the exhibition
• das Bild: the picture
• der Maler: the painter

Questions & Answers about Die Ausstellung zeigt Bilder eines modernen Malers.

Why is eines modernen Malers in the genitive case, and what does that case express here?

The genitive here indicates “of” or possession/association: the exhibition shows pictures of a modern painter. You spot the genitive by three markers:

1. eines (genitive singular masculine article)
2. modernen with the -en ending (adjective in genitive after an indefinite article)
3. Malers with the added -s (masculine noun ending in genitive singular)
   If you used einem modernen Maler, you’d have dative (“to/for a modern painter”), which isn’t the idea.

Why does modernen take an –en ending, and why does Malers end in –s?

After an indefinite article in genitive singular (masculine or neuter), adjectives take the weak ending -en. Masculine nouns form the genitive singular by adding -s (or -es for some shorter stems). Hence modernen (weak adjective) and Malers (genitive noun).

Why isn’t there an article before Bilder? Wouldn’t I need die Bilder or einige Bilder?

In German, when you refer to indefinite plural things ("some pictures" in English), you often omit the article entirely. Simply Bilder conveys “pictures” in a general or unspecified sense. If you said die Bilder, it would mean “the pictures” (specific ones), and einige Bilder would stress “some pictures,” which is possible but slightly different.

Can I replace the genitive phrase with von einem modernen Maler? What’s the nuance?

Yes. Bilder von einem modernen Maler uses the preposition von + dative (einem modernen Maler). It’s perfectly normal, especially in spoken or informal German.
– Genitive (eines modernen Malers) sounds a bit more formal or literary.
– von + dative is colloquial and very common in everyday speech.

Could I move Bilder eines modernen Malers to the front of the sentence? For example: Bilder eines modernen Malers zeigt die Ausstellung.

Absolutely. German is a V2 language: you can put any constituent in first position, as long as the finite verb stays second. By fronting the object phrase, you simply shift emphasis to it. It’s correct but can sound more formal, poetic or emphatic.

How would I say “The exhibition shows a painting of a modern painter” (singular) in German?

Swap Bilder (plural) for ein Bild (singular accusative) and keep the genitive phrase:
 Die Ausstellung zeigt ein Bild eines modernen Malers.
Here ein Bild is accusative singular, and eines modernen Malers remains your genitive “of a modern painter.”