The Ludwig Museum is a museum in Cologne that specialises in 20th and 21st century art. Situated just behind Cologne Cathedral, it offers a top-quality cross-section of works ranging from classical Modernism right through to contemporary artistic production. The museum covers an exhibition area of approx. 8,000m˛. In addition to its collection of modern art, it also contains the Agfa-Photo-Historama and an outstanding art and museum library. Closed on Mondays.
» www.museenkoeln.de/ludwig
The K20/K21 in Düsseldorf probably has the most important collection of modern art in Germany. At its core is a set of about 90 paintings by Paul Klee, who once taught at the Düsseldorf Art Academy. The K20 collection focuses predominantly on 20th century masterpieces, including works by Picasso, Kandinsky, Beckmann, Beuys and many others. The K21 specialises primarily in more recent works of contemporary art. Closed on Mondays and on 24, 25 and 31 Dec.
» www.kunstsammlung.de
The newest of Frankfurt's museums, the Museum of Modern Art opened in 1991 and is affectionately known as the "slice of cake" because of its triangular shape. It is one of the top contemporary art collections in Europe. With around 40 rooms, the museum documents high-calibre works of European and American art from the 1960s through to modern-day contemporary art. The focus is on Pop art, object art and art installations. Closed on Mondays.
» www.mmk-frankfurt.de
With the New National Gallery at the Kulturforum in Berlin, Mies van der Rohe created a modern-day "Greek temple" on the edge of the Tiergarten in 1967. Covering an area of around 5,000m˛, the museum presents an exquisite collection of modern art, focusing on works by artists from the fields of Cubism, Expressionism, Bauhaus and Surrealism. From Edvard Munch and Oskar Kokoschka to Karl Schmitt-Rottluff and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, and to Otto Dix and George Grosz. The museum also displays works by international artists such as Picasso, Léger, De Chirico, Dali, Magritte and Max Ernst. Closed on Mondays.
» www.neue-nationalgalerie.de
The Museum of Modern Art on the banks of the River Danube in Passau was established in 1990 as the foundation of the architect and art patron Hanns Egon Wörlen. Covering 1,000m˛ of exhibition space across three floors, it presents a range of 20th and 21st century art in stylish surroundings. The work of painter Georg Philipp Wörlen (1886-1954) forms the basis of the collection, and the museum also hosts temporary individual and group exhibitions featuring international artists such as Dali, Feininger, Beckmann, Schiele, Picasso, Yoko Ono, Christo and Jeanne-Claude and Klein. The programme of exhibitions covers all art genres, from classical Modernism and the 'art informel' movement to the wide-ranging styles and media of contemporary art. Closed on Mondays and on 24, 25 and 31 Dec. and Good Friday.
» www.mmk-passau.de
Since 1978, the Mönchehaus Museum has been housed in a magnificent half-timbered smallholder's house built in 1528 in Goslar's old quarter. It is one of the world's leading museums of modern art, presenting a variety of contemporary art in a number of temporary exhibitions. Visitors can see works by internationally acclaimed artists such as Joseph Beuys, Max Ernst, Georg Baselitz and Eduardo Chilida, and the adjacent garden contains lush documenta oaks by Beuys and Hundertwasser's roof. In the vaulted cellars there are environments by Günther Uecker, Anselm Kiefer and Peter Sommer. Works such as Christo’s "Package on a hunt" – a wrapped project and Ilya Kabakov’s "My Grandfather's Stable" make this museum a very popular attraction - and not just for photographers. Closed on Mondays.
» www.moenchehaus.de
Within its historical walls, Moyland Castle houses the former private art collection of the van der Grinten brothers. It was opened as a museum of modern art in 1997 in Bedburg-Hau. Containing more than 60,000 exhibits from the 19th and 20th centuries, the collection includes works by Erwin Heerich, Willem de Ouden, Rudolf Schoofs and Hermann Teuber. Another key focus is the world's largest collection of works by Joseph Beuys (almost 5,000). The museum's library contains more than 60,000 items on fine arts and applied art. Closed on Mondays.
» www.moyland.de
The Emil Nolde Museum in Seebüll, close to the North Sea coast and the Danish border, is housed in the place where the artist once worked - which Emil Nolde (1867-1956) had built according to his own designs. Nolde is one of the leading Expressionist painters and is considered one of the top water-colour artists of the 20th century. The museum hosts a different special exhibition every year, each one offering a new insight into the artist's body of work: paintings, water-colours, including a series of "Unpainted Pictures" (more than 1,300 small water-colours produced in secret in Seebüll after 1938 during Nazi rule), drawings, graphic works and crafts. Closed from December to February.
» www.nolde-stiftung.de
Opened in 2006, the Max Ernst Museum in Brühl is the only museum dedicated entirely to the works of Max Ernst (1891-1976). Covering an exhibition area of almost 2,400m˛, it has around 300 exhibits focusing on the key creative periods of this diverse artist. Visitors can immerse themselves in the fantasy worlds of the artist, who was one of the pioneers of Dadaism in the Rhineland, one of the protagonists of Surrealism in France and the creator of monumental sculptures in the barren landscape of Arizona. Exhibits include more than 60 sculptures, graphic works, 36 D-paintings and a number of early works by Max Ernst. Closed on Mondays, 24, 25 and 31 Dec., 1 Jan., carnival, Easter Monday, 1 May and Whit Monday.
» www.maxernstmuseum.de
The Hamburger Bahnhof is one of the gems of Berlin architecture. Opened here in 1996 and covering an exhibition area of around 10,000m˛, the Hamburger Bahnhof museum presents the most important collection of contemporary art in Berlin, containing works by Andy Warhol, Joseph Beuys, Keith Haring and many other innovative contemporary artists. The collection also includes more than 450 drawings by Beuys and almost 60 graphic works by Warhol, as well as groups of works by painters from the Italian Transavanguardia and exponents of the Minimal Art movement. Closed on Mondays, 24 and 31 Dec., guided tours and free audio tours available.
» www.hamburgerbahnhof.de
