How does one filter out the most noteworthy works from around 130,000 objects of all eras and genres? Which pieces from the collection gain entry to the strictly limited selection (the number 800 formed the upper limit)? And what must (initially) stay outside? With such questions, Felix Krämer, director of the Kunstpalast, and his two curators Felicity Korn and Westrey Page have occupied themselves over the past three years. The answer is provided by the new tour, which recaps the history of the collection (and art) in such an entertaining way that it is a pleasure to stroll through the 49 rooms.
"Whoever brings much will bring something to many; and everyone leaves the house satisfied": Did this Goethe quote serve as a maxim for the trio of curators? In any case, it fits perfectly with the new discovery tour at the Ehrenhof, which brings together the collection and exhibition wings. The facades of the building, designed in the style of brick expressionism, barely hint at the renovation by the office Sieber Architekten. The changes inside are all the more significant: here, hardly a stone remains on top of another.
As the common thread of the tour serves the chronology. Apart from that, maximum flexibility prevails in the rooms, whose different colors set pleasing accents. Medieval Madonnas meet Buddha figures. Painting and design maintain good neighborly relations. A Boro kimono is in close contact with a painting by Max Liebermann. And a large-format "earth cloth" by the currently highly trendy Ghanaian artist El Anatsui enters into a dialogue with the Assumption of Mary by Peter Paul Rubens, which is considered one of the highlights of the painting gallery.
These are just a few of the correspondences that Krämer and his team have staged with a sense of affinities and surprises. One casually moves through the permanent exhibition of the Kunstpalast from the Middle Ages to the present, gaining insight into world religions and cultures in passing, and experiences the transition from the representational to the abstract in painting as a harmonious shift. Thus, what the trio has placed in the spaces grows together: paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, design and porcelain objects, installations, and time-based media.
"A visit to a museum should not only convey insights and leave new impressions, but it should also be fun!", says Felix Krämer – the 51-year-old palace director has been in office since 2017 and recently extended his contract early until 2034. "For the overall experience to be right, it takes more than good exhibitions – it starts with the house rules and ends with the restaurant's menu."
The detour to the new art palace is enjoyable not only for those who value high-quality cuisine – the new café-restaurant Anna-Maria also offers a wonderful panoramic view of the Tonhalle. Fun should especially be had by the children. Krämer gives them the command, at least in certain areas, namely in the children's rooms referred to as the "Rhino Palace." Small doors with low-positioned handles signal which target group is being addressed here. "Low-threshold," the current buzzword of the cultural scene, is being put into practice here.
The interior has been designed by illustrator Christoph Niemann as an experience zone that plays with perspectives, proportions, and movement. In the "Rhino Palace," the young audience can expect, for example, a fountain pen that paints stairs. Or a tunnel made of shimmering light points. According to the Kunstpalast, it is the first art museum to directly integrate children's rooms into its collection tour. A tip also for adults. Older generations who wish to feel young again are recommended to visit the reconstructed Sixties disco "Creamcheese." Works by Günther Uecker, Gerhard Richter, Daniel Spoerri, and other artists evoke memories of a distant past that has preserved its uplifting spirit. At the counter of Heinz Mack, conversations about art are guaranteed to flow more easily than in any lecture hall.
