It was once considered the "most beautiful museum of modern art" and today the Museum Folkwang is still one of the most renowned German art museums. The museum's important collection includes works by Cézanne, van Gogh and Manet. Top-class temporary exhibitions complete the repertoire.
The Museum Folkwang in Essen is one of the most renowned art museums in Germany. In the year of the Ruhr.2010 Capital of Culture, the museum reopened after extensive renovations. Star architect David Chipperfield had the museum's extension from the 1980s demolished and created an impressive new building in its place.
The Folkwang Museum's collection of classical modern art is particularly unique in the world: the collection was founded at the beginning of the 20th century by art patron Karl Ernst Osthaus from Hagen and was acquired by the city of Essen in 1922, where it is still housed today.
The German Poster Museum is part of the building
The important collection includes works by Cézanne, Gauguin, van Gogh, Kirchner, Manet, Marc, Matisse, Munch, Rodin and many other world-famous artists from the founding decades. The museum also houses a first-class photographic collection with works from the 20th century, the post-war period and the present day.
In total, around 600 paintings, 300 sculptures and installations and over 1800 other artistic objects can be admired at the Museum Folkwang. In addition to the permanent exhibitions, there are also numerous high-caliber temporary exhibitions in which works by world-famous artists such as van Gogh, Hopper, Picasso and Gauguin are frequently loaned to the Essen museum.
The German Poster Museum is also part of the museum ensemble and houses one of the largest special collections in the world.
