Museums
1. THE DEUTSCHE GUGGENHEIN MUSEUM - BERLIN
ADDRESS:
Unter den Linden 13-15
10117 Berlin
CONTACT NUMBERS:
Email: berlin.guggenheim@db.com
Phone: 49-030-2020930
Fax: 49-030-20209320
SCHEDULE:
OPEN: 10 am to 8 pm daily, until 10 pm every Thursday.
CLOSE: December 24 and 25
SPECIAL SCHEDULE: December 31 - from 10 am to 4 pm only
January 1 - from 2 pm to 8 pm only
FREE GUIDED TOURS: Every day at 6 pm
KEYNOTE TOURS: Every Sunday at 11:30 am
LUNCH and LECTURE: Every Wednesday at 1 pm
DETAILS:
This 510-square-meter art gallery is a showcase of modern art, both in the structure itself and in the extensive exhibits it opens for the visual pleasure of the general public. The museum opened in November 1997 with the exhibit Visions of Paris: Delaunay's Series, and has since become a moving force behind the promotion of arts and culture and emerging German artists.
Located on Unter den Liden, a historical place in the heart of Berlin, the spacious museum mounts four major exhibitions annually, with special highlight on the arts of the 20 and 21st century. The works are commissioned by some of the most interesting artists in modern German art like Jeff Wall, Phoebe Washburn, Hanne Darboven and William Kentridge.
The Deutsche Guggenheim is a result of a cultural cooperation between commerce and art - that of Deutsche Bank and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. The museum stands on the ground floor of the bank's Berlin headquarters which dates back as early as the 1920. The staircase and the extensive exhibition halls were all design marks of the famous architect Richard Gluckman.
The museum art pieces came from prized collections of both the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation (such as the called non-objective art", a mark of modern art) and Deutsche Bank, which has over 50,000 works of art, considered the largest art collection by a single company in the world.
NON-EXHIBIT ATTRACTIONS:
1. The MuseumShop
An integral part of the museum's public viewing program is the so-called MuseumShop, which houses a vast collection of for-sale items which are carefully chosen to coincide with the theme of the exhibition being presented. These merchandise include items from the Edition Deutsche Guggenheim label, art pieces that are especially produced in collaboration with the featured artists and museum curators, such that the products are highly unique, special and valuable, truly a collector's pride.
Other items that can be purchased are other art pieces, art literature, exhibit catalogues and special souvenir items of cultural value. The goal of this commercial concept is to make art accessible to ordinary men and bridge the gap between high-brow culture and the masses. The shop covers 40 square meters and both locals and tourists can wander around choosing from among the 1,500 items for sale.
2. The Kaffeebank Cafė
This is an attached concept of the MuseumShop where visitors of the museum can have a relaxing time by savoring some of the best coffee concoctions in Germany, as well as tea and a variety of cold refreshments. They can enjoy this along with the most gastronomic array of cakes, pastries, sandwiches, bagels and other bread. While having a much-needed rest before moving on, or just refilling one's energy cup, visitors can also check out art books, newspapers, magazines and other publications in the cafė.
2.THE ART AND EXHIBITION HALL OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY – BONN
ADDRESS:
Friedrich Ebert Allee 4 53113 Bonn
Postfach 12-0540 53047 Bonn
The museum can be reached through a major train station. It is built between the River Rhine and the Cologne Cathedral.
CONTACT NUMBERS:
Email: info@kah-bonn.de
Phone: 49-0228-9171-0
Fax: 49-0228-234154
SCHEDULE:
OPEN: Every Tuesday and Wednesday, from 10 am to 9 pm
Every Thursday to Sunday, from 10 am to 7 pm
CLOSE: Every Monday
SPECIAL SCHEDULE:
The museum is open from 9am on Fridays for announced groups and school groups
DETAILS:
Founded in 1992, the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany was primarily conceptualized to be a premiere institution for showcasing changing exhibitions not only in the local cultural landscape of Germany but the world as well. As such, the exhibitions are varied, rich and unmatched in their themes and periods. Since it opened to the public, the museum has presented more than 143 exhibitions already, with focus on not just art per se, but history, technology and scientific themes. Topics are rich and diverse, from the weather to genetic engineering and photography to architecture, plus other themes in between all these concepts.
NON-EXHIBIT ATTRACTIONS:
1. The Library - The museum prides itself with a complete modern library that holds a vast array of academic collections numbering 43,000 items - from books, magazines and periodicals, cd-roms and videos. It is open for the general public and has gained popularity among scholars, researchers, academic-types and even busy visitors who must stop by to have a dose of Bonn's scholarly ambiance.
2. The Roof Garden - This sought-after spot serves as a special hall for displaying the museum's sculpture collections. Likewise, the extensive garden landscape offers a relaxing place for visitors to rest, stroll and unwind. During hot summer months, a beer garden is opened here to quench the thirst of active tourists.
3. The Forum - This is a special 500-seater hall in the museum where special events like concerts, literary readings and cultural conferences and performances are held.
4. Museum Square
This serves as a perfect open-air venue for various cultural shows that are open for the general
public. There is a covered stage where international performers and artists perform for the public
especially during the summer months.
3. THE MUSEUM LUDWIG - COLOGNE
ADDRESS:
Bischofsgartenstraße 1
D-50667 Cologne
CONTACT NUMBERS:
E-mail: info@museum-ludwig.de
Telephone: 49-221-22126165
Fax: 49-221-22124114
SCHEDULE:
OPEN:
Every Tuesday to Friday, from 10 am to 6 pm
Every Thursday - evenings only until 10 pm
Every Saturday and Sunday, from 11am to 6pm
CLOSE:
During public holidays
DETAILS:
Founded in 1976, and opened to the public ten years after, the Museum Ludwig Collection in Cologne should be a must-stop not only for serious art enthusiasts but lovers of pop culture and all its forms. The collection come from the couple Peter and Irene Ludwig, after whom the museum was named.
Together, they amassed an amazing cornucopia of modern and contemporary art, and thus, the Museum Ludwig became the venue for the most extensive pop culture art collection outside the United States of America. The pieces span the works created within productive period of growth of contemporary pop art, from the '70s, '80s, '90's and up to the present.
The museum building was designed by the architects Godfried Haberer along with Peter Bussman. It stands strategically between the romantic Rhine River and the Cologne Cathedral. The Museum Ludwig is one of three cultural establishments in the building, along with the adjacent Wallraff-Richartz Museum (where artworks of German expressionism masters like Josef Haubrich are showcased, as well as art pieces from European painters of the 13th to the early 20th century) and the Philharmonie.
Visitors will be treated to a vast collection of contemporary modern art and prized pieces by some of the most notable artists that define the modern period. Some of the big-ticket artworks that have been presented here include Brillo Boxes by Andy Warhol, Maybe by Roy Lichtenstein and Restaurant Window by George Segal. Pablo Picasso artworks have become a crowd drawer for the museum as well, and are regularly leased through international tours in various museums around the world.
The museum started its collection with 350 modern art paintings. Then, the pile gradually grew, with new additions like the Russian Avant Garde collection from 1906 to 1930. Over a hundred works by Pablo Picasso were also made on-loan to the museum. Today, new acquisitions are added to the collection, further enriching the visual showcase that now includes creations by international trendsetters in visual art and much younger interpretations by budding masters around the world.
Today, the museum retains its energetic, vibrant young force with the 8-year leadership of Kasper König, the museum director, who mounted memorable and popular exhibitions like the "Westkunst," " Skulptur.Projekte Munster," and "Von Hier Aus."
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
1. Wallraff-Richartz Museum - Houses one of the world's biggest collections of medieval paintings, with valuable art pieces from 13th to 20th century masters - Pizzarro, Renoit, Monet, Manet, Cézanne, Gauguin, Rembrandt, Reubens, Van Gogh, Picasso, Munch and many others. For recent additions, the "Madonna of the Rose Bower" by Stegfan Lochner, proved to be the most popular crowd-drawer in the museum. Perhaps, a most unique concept incorporated in this modern gallery house is the Print Room at the second floor, where the master drawings of the likes of Leonardo Da Vinci, Auguste Rodin, Peter Paul Reubens and other notable painters are preserved and restored for public viewing.
2. Sculpture Gallery - The extensive gallery on the Museum Ludwig's first floor houses priceless collections of sculptures, ceramic pieces, paperworks and other art on varying media. The pieces showcased are extensively featured with accompanying narratives and references.
