Almost 50 rooms and 800 works: Kunstpalast collection opens
After years of closure and major renovations, the Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf is about to undergo a spectacular reopening. From November 21, around 800 works of art and design objects from the Middle Ages to the present day will be on display in 49 rooms. The works were selected from the city museum's collection of around 130,000 objects.
The Kunstpalast, with its more than 300-year tradition, not only has masterpieces from Rubens to Gerhard Richter, but also a huge collection of applied art from the former Düsseldorf Museum of Decorative Arts. Some of the works have never been on display before.
The redesign of the collection wing cost around 50 million euros. Highlights include two monumental Rubens works as well as works of German Expressionism by Kirchner, Macke, Dix and Marc and Zero art from the 1960s. A copy of the world-famous Mona Lisa and a forged painting are also on display.
"Thinking art differently" is the motto of Kunstpalast director Felix Krämer. The name of the work is written at the top of all wall texts and not that of the artist, as is usually the case. "We don't go by name," said Krämer on Thursday. "We want to tell the stories."
Shortly before the collection reopened, Krämer extended his contract as General Director early until 2034. The German-British art historian took up his post in the NRW state capital in 2017. Since then, he has attracted national attention with sometimes daring presentations of sports cars, for example, as well as exhibitions on the photographer Peter Lindbergh and the Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich.
Visitors to the reopened Kunstpalast can marvel at its extensive collection of over 800 works of art and design objects, spanning various periods from the Middle Ages to the present day. This includes unseen masterpieces from artists such as Rubens and German Expressionists like Kirchner, Macke, Dix, and Marc.
The Kunstpalast's revamped collection wing houses a diverse range of art, from the monumental works of Rubens to the avant-garde art style of Zero art from the 1960s. Museum-goers can also witness unusual displays, such as a copy of the Mona Lisa and a forged painting.
Source: www.dpa.com
