To mark its 125th anniversary, the Von der Heydt Museum in Wuppertal is opening its archives with the exhibition “125 Years NOW. Museum History(ies)” and inviting visitors on a journey through time exploring museum and art history. From February 5, 2027, through January 8, 2029, the exhibition will highlight both the museum building as a place for discovery, participation, and reflection, as well as its multifaceted collection.
Various “time capsules” invite the public to discover the museum’s beginnings, its changing exhibitions, and the stories behind its collection. Selected works of art are paired with historical photographs and archival documents being examined for the first time. They reveal how the museum has presented art over the decades, which works found their way into the collection, and the ideas behind them. On this journey through 125 years of museum history, a connection to the present emerges: The exhibition highlights new beginnings, crises, and fresh starts, and shows how the past shapes the museum’s present and determines its outlook on the future.
A Museum Through the Ages
Founded in 1902 as the Elberfeld Municipal Museum, the Von der Heydt Museum today houses approximately 2,300 paintings, nearly 700 sculptures and small-scale sculptures, as well as more than 30,000 works on paper, prints, and photographs. The collection spans from the 16th to the 21st century and also includes decorative arts and non-European objects.
The exhibition traces the museum’s early years, the upheavals of the Nazi era, and its reconstruction after World War II. It shows how the museum is opening up to contemporary art and critically examining its own past. Hitherto hidden stories and lesser-known treasures are also brought to light. Finally, the focus turns to the museum’s present and future.
