The Städelmuseum's Refurbished Modern Art Galleries Reopen to the Public

Written by Fabian Keinhorst Saturday, 05 November 2011 23:17

Frankfurt, Germany.- The Städelmuseum is pleased to announce that the latest phase of its expansion and refurbishment work will open to the public when the Modern Art (1800-1945) collection goes back on view in the garden wing of the renovated old building on November 17th. Since its founding in 1815, the Städelmuseum has increased its holdings through an active Acquisition policy and is constantly expanding. The collection currently comprises about 2,900 paintings, 600 sculptures, 500 drawings and photographs, and over 100,000 Graphic prints. With its rich collection the Städelmuseum presents an overview of over 700 years of European art history - from the early 14th Century on the Renaissance, Baroque and classical modernism to the present.

The continuous expansion of the museum collection has caused constant headaches for the museum's curators, and the history of the museum is one of near-constant extension, modernisation and renovation. The original museum building on the south bank of the River Main, designed by Oskar Sommer opened in 1878, designed by Oskar Sommer was extended into the garden during its construction. In 1990, an additional extension was built in Holbeinstraße designed by the architect Gustav Peichl. The latest extension to the museum was commissioned from Frankfurt architects Schneider + Schumacher in February 2008 after an international invitational competition. The latest expansion will provide an additional 3,000 m² of exhibition space for the presentation of Contemporary Art. Unlike previous enlargements, this expansion will not be realized above ground, but instead, the Architects have created a spacious new museum hall under the Städel garden. 195 circular skylights with a diameter of 1.5 to 2.5 meters supply the new gallery with natural light.


Additionally, in the course of construction, existing defects in the old building have been addressed, including making the buildings fully accessible. The total cost of the expansion is estimated at 31 million euros, with the redevelopment of the old building requiring a further € 14 million. The opening phase of the new Städel began on October 7th 2011 with the exhibition "Beckmann & America". On November 17th, the renovated old building in the garden wing will open to display the modern art collection. This first Part of the newly designed collection includes the presentation in the Stadel Collection of the "Modern" (1800 to 1945). On December 15th the "Old Masters" (1300 to 1800) will reopen in the main wing of the old building. The final phase will be the "Contemporary Art" collection, which will return on February 22nd 2012.

Amongst the highlights of the 19th century collection, which visitors will be able to see once again are works by Arnold Bocklin, Gustave Courbet, Edgar Degas, Ferdinand Hodler, Max Liebermann, Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Edvard Munch, Odilon Redon, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henri Rousseau. Pre-1945 20th century masterpieces returning on show include paintings by Pierre Bonnard, Lovis Corinth, Otto Dix, Max Ernst, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Paul Klee, Fernand Leger, Franz Marc, Henri Matisse, Emile Nolde and Pablo Picasso. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.staedelmuseum.de

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