The Museum Ludwig: A Journey Through Cologne's Art History

Have you already been to the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum ? Then your journey through art history continues in the Museum Ludwig , because here you will find more modern works from the 20th and 21st centuries. The star of the museum is definitely Pablo Picasso . A few well-known works by the world-famous Spanish painter hang here and you can also see some of his sculptures.

In the middle of Cologne on the trail of Picasso

Did you know that Picasso probably created around 50,000 works? That's not a small number, is it? The Museum Ludwig is home to the third largest Picasso collection in the world . Picasso fans will really get their money's worth here! The Museum Ludwig is home to all three of Picasso's major print cycles . So you don't have to travel to Paris or Barcelona, the only places that beat Cologne when it comes to Picasso, but you can admire one of the most famous artists of the last century right here in the middle of Cologne!

In addition to Picasso, you can look forward to the largest Pop Art collection in Europe, with works by artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Liechtenstein and Claas Oldenburg, who is also behind the famous ice cream cone at the Neumarkt Gallery.

· one of the most important collections of German Expressionism

· impressive works of the Russian avant-garde and

· a large collection on the history of photography

to the collection.

When the photography collection was launched in 1977, the art world was still asking whether photography was really art. The Museum Ludwig was one of the first museums to answer this question with a clear "yes" and to include photographs in its permanent exhibitions. Today, the photography collection at the Museum Ludwig includes around 70,000 photos .

Many hidden treasures

By the way, there are many more works of art lurking well hidden in the museum: only three percent of the museum's total treasures are to be shown in the large exhibition area! That's why the creators swap a work from time to time or show their special features in a special exhibition . The museum also has a roof garden with lots of plants that is worth seeing.

With these plants, the museum is getting a little closer to its origins. The address of the Museum Ludwig is on Bischofsgartenstrasse. Many centuries ago, the Bishop's Garden was used to grow vegetables and herbs. Later, the cathedral canons' shooting range was also located here. In general, the Museum Ludwig is trying to work more sustainably and pay attention to environmental protection. For example, efforts are made not to transport paintings over long distances to Cologne, and to avoid environmentally harmful paints or adhesives.

Great collection thanks to donations

Many of the fantastic works in the Museum Ludwig, including a few hundred paintings by Picasso, come from the collection of the collector couple Irene and Peter Ludwig . After the couple donated 350 Pop Art works to the city of Cologne, the foundation stone for the museum was laid in 1976. Pop Art was almost unknown in Germany at the time. The Ludwigs, however, began their collection in the 1960s. The Museum Ludwig now houses the largest collection of its kind outside the USA !

The collection of the politician and lawyer Josef Haubrich is also part of the exhibition, which he handed over to the city of Cologne just one year after the end of the war. During the Nazi era, Haubrich was able to save many expressionist works of art that the Nazis considered "degenerate". This included paintings by expressionists that experts at the time believed had been irretrievably lost. After the Gestapo searched Haubrich's house, he took most of his paintings out of the city, some of them as far as London. His collection thus survived the war almost unscathed!

Since a number of really great pictures had been collected over the years, a presentable building was needed to show off the works in the right light. So construction work began very close to the cathedral and the museum was opened in 1986 .

The most important artists of the last 120 years

Many well-known artists such as Salvador Dalí and Sigmar Polke are represented in the Museum Ludwig. You will discover all the names that have been important in art over the last 120 years, including many artists from the Cologne region such as Joseph Beuys. In the future, however, those responsible for the museum would also like to show more works by artists from non-European countries. And now more and more works of art are being added that were only created in the last few years.

The best thing about the Museum Ludwig is that there is always something new to discover! Even on the fifth visit, art lovers will never get bored. And as you can see, the Museum Ludwig is a true museum of records! Real art fans should plan a little more time for a visit, because there is really a lot to marvel at! And if you want to learn more about the fine art of brewing beer and especially about our beloved Kölsch, the best thing to do is come on one of our brewery tours !