MARTa Herford opened in 2005. A combination of design (M for Möbel, i.e. furniture), art (ART) and architecture or ambience (a), the project aims to provide fresh inspiration for art, design, architecture and business, both in the local region and far beyond.

New inspiration for art, design, architecture and business
The extraordinary complex of buildings designed by the architect Frank Gehry is a huge sculpture in itself. It is asymmetric and has no windows at all on the street-facing side, totally ignoring the classic architectural rules of load and support. The museum is a walk-through sculpture, a fantastical-burlesque creation located somewhere between Duckville, Gotham City and cyberspace. The MARTa Herford complex, with its undulating stainless-steel roof and bricks that are typical of the region, comprises four different components; the museum, the forum, the centre and the MARTa café bar restaurant, all of which demonstrate the special sculptural and stylistic elements typical of the architect. Look closely, listen carefully, discuss; this is the way to acquire a taste for the arts at MARTa Herford.

Five galleries of approximately 2,500m² provide plenty of space for the collection and temporary exhibitions. The focus is on 21st century art and current trends in furniture design. Each of the museum's halls plays its part in Jan Hoet's monumental review of modernism, but mostly of his own preferences and his decades of influence as curator. Works by artists he has been greatly influenced by, such as Beuys, feature prominently. Groundbreaking films are shown in a living room with TV, and a treasure trove of sorts gives an impression of his personal obsessions, for example with a display case presenting hundreds of snuff boxes – in remembrance of his grandmother, a secret snuff enthusiast. Artists such as Warhol, Duchamp and Gerhard Richter take centre stage, along with the awkward legacy of romanticism and its artists' legends, worship of genius and entanglement in totalitarian ideas. MARTa does not only exhibit art in its galleries, it also presents fascinating sculptures outside the building.
» www.marta-herford.de

A selection of other collections in Germany.