Kun­st­sammlung NRW in Düs­sel­dorf

The ex­hib­i­tion ven­ues K20, K21 and F3 Schmela Haus, known as “place of art”, “place of artists” and “place of dis­cus­sions”, in Düs­sel­dorf ex­hib­it art works of clas­sic­al mod­ern and con­tem­por­ary art. The K21 at the Ständehaus primar­ily of­fers room for tem­por­ary ex­hib­i­tions.

The starting point of the Kunstsammlung (Art Collection) NRW in Düsseldorf was the purchase of 88 works by Paul Klee, who taught only a few metres away at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf until the National Socialists came into power in 1933. Today, the Kunstsammlung NRW spans three sites and exhibits art in a space measuring more than 10,000 square metres. With an impressive collection of major works of classical modernism, including paintings by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian, the state gallery is considered one of the most renowned collections of modern art.

As the “Ort der Kunst” (“Place for Art”), the K20 at Grabbeplatz houses the permanent artworks collection. Here stands the exhibition of post-war American art, which includes works by Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Donald Judd, Jasper Johns and Frank Stella. The main feature is Jackson Pollock’s world-famous “Number 32”. Present day works of art by artists such as Gerhard Richter, Tony Cragg, Thomas Schütte, Katharina Fritsch, Imi Knoebel and Joseph Beuys form another important focus of the museum.

The K21 in the Ständehaus was opened as a showcase for modern art in 2002. Under the glass dome of the former North Rhine-Westphalian state parliament building, it offers itself up as an “Ort der Künstler” (“Place for Artists”), providing space for temporary exhibitions.