Travelers who decide to visit one of the cities of Germany - Hamburg, will receive aesthetic satisfaction by visiting the most famous landmark of the city - the Kunsthalle Museum. Being in the city center, it attracts attention with its appearance, because the building has unusual architectural forms, and its priceless content is a collection of works of art from the Middle Ages to the 21st century.
Art from the Middle Ages to the present day
The Kunsthalle Museum founded the Hamburg cultural community of art lovers. Thanks to the private contributions of residents of the city, who paid 2/3 of the costs, the construction of the museum began, and in 1869 it was opened. The building then expanded twice in 1921 and in 1997. Currently, it is one of the largest museums in Germany. It is located near the Central Station, is a real gem among museums, whose permanent collection spanning seven centuries of art history (from hand-painted wooden medieval altars to large-scale paintings) attracts many visitors.
This is a great place to get acquainted with the history of art and the museum itself. The architecture of the building and the interior are striking in its scope and design. To visit the museum will need more than three hours of free time, or even a whole day. The logistics of the museum is amazing. The period follows the period, everything is described in great detail, interestingly and intelligibly. On each floor there is a huge number of halls (large and small). The pearls of the collection are the canvases of artists such as Munch, Van Gogh, Klee, Manet, Renoir. Tired and hungry visitors can go to a cafe where you can have a bite to eat, enjoy delicious coffee and rest.
Museum permanent exhibition
More than 700 paintings by the Hamburg Kunsthalle are on permanent display. The museum exhibits an outstanding monument of the 14th century Gothic art by the master of Bertram - the altar, the work was created in 1379.
There is also an altar by the work of the master Franke, the work of Rembrandt, a representative of Dutch painting of the 17th century, German painting of the romantic period of the 19th century is represented by paintings by Caspar David Friedrich, Philipp Otto Runge, Adolf Menzel and Max Lieberman. Among the works of the permanent exhibition, impressionism and classical modernism are represented by paintings by Max Beckmann, Wilhelm Lembrook, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Edward Munch and Paul Klee. In addition, Kunsthalle organizes twenty thematic exhibitions each year.
Special exhibitions
Hamburg Kunsthalle has received international recognition for the quality of special exhibitions organized annually. They invariably attract thousands of visitors to the city. In January 2017, the museum hosted an exhibition of surrealists. The works of artists of this direction were presented, among which Dali, Miro, Magritte and Ernest. Everyone in the museum store in the lobby can purchase a variety of prints, stationery and souvenirs.
In addition to catalogs, illustrated books and scientific publications on fine art and related topics, you can find a large selection of posters, postcards and publications of artists, as well as unusual design elements and materials for drawing.
An interesting innovative project of the museum, revealing the secrets of its work. Visitors will learn how works are authenticated and restored, how to distinguish an original from a fake, what are the criteria for selecting exhibits for a museum, and what is the scope of the work of artists.
Gallery of the present
The museum also has an extensive modern collection located on the second floor, it is called the Gallery of Modernity. It has been open to visitors since 1997. A separate building was built for her. In the gallery, famous artists exhibit their works written after the 60s of the last century. Many recognized artists - Richard Serra, Giannis Kounellis, Ilya Kabakov, Jenny Holzer and others - created works specially dedicated to this new gallery. So, exhibitions of surrealism and pop art are held only in the Gallery of Modernity. In the field of international contemporary art, the various contemporary positions of the Hamburg Kunsthalle in Germany are represented by pop art, conceptual art, video art and photography. Exhibitions are constantly changing in the Gallery, and there are always visitors who are interested in exhibits. In 2014 there was an exhibition dedicated to the interpretation of Malevich's black square.
Coin and engraving cabinets
Coins, medals and engravings are displayed in two separate rooms of the Hamburg Kunsthalle. The number of exhibits exceeds two and a half thousand. On the windows you can find coins and medals of different times and peoples. Thanks to patrons, the collection of prints is constantly replenished. Currently, there are already about a hundred thousand.
Training room and library
The training room (print, drawing and photography department) is the reading room of the museum library. The public reference library is the largest library in northern Germany, with a collection of more than 160,000 works. Interested readers can find rich background information in Hamburg Kunsthall, especially on topics related to its permanent collection. Kunsthalle works in accordance with the tasks: collecting and studying works of art, activities to preserve the collected material and familiarize visitors with it.
Art can help make schooling easier and more fun. German educational institutions make full use of the opportunity to introduce children from an early age to art. A visit to Hamburg's Kunsthalle is included in the school curriculum. Guided group tours are very popular.
Museum Services
The value of museum workers in their unobtrusive presence and care for visitors. All museum sites are fully accessible for visitors with wheelchairs. Two additional parking spaces for people with disabilities are available (free of charge) at the entrance to the Gallery of Modern Art (before the railway crossing). If necessary, museum staff will help people with limited mobility. In the parking lot there is a bell next to the parking place. By calling him, the visitor can be sure that an employee of the Hamburg Kunsthalle will come for him. In Hamburg, as in many other European cities, much attention is paid to the special program, which in our country is known as the “accessible environment”.
The German Kunsthalle has an impressive area of 13 thousand km 2 . Of course, tourists, buying a ticket, try to go around all the halls in one day, or even in a few hours. This is quite tiring and in the end, many just roll over. For the convenience of visitors, the administration of the museum in some paintings installed special chairs for the disabled and portable folding chairs.
Wandering around the halls of the Kunsthalle on your own and stopping wherever you want is, of course, good. However, for those who want to learn more about the history of the museum and its exhibits, guided tours are organized. For tourists, they are held in foreign languages: English, French, Russian, Italian and Spanish.