Kunsthalle Kiel (Kiel Art Gallery), Kiel

The Kunsthalle zu Kiel is an art museum in Kiel and, with 2,000 m² of exhibition space, the largest museum in the state capital. Since September 25, 2023, the Kunsthalle zu Kiel and the Antikensammlung have been closed for renovation. A total of around 49.5 million euros will be invested in the renovation of the historic building. Of this, around 30 million euros come from the state of Schleswig-Holstein's IMPULS infrastructure modernization program and almost 19.5 million euros from the federal government's KulturInvest program. The property was donated by Lotte Hegewisch to the Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel in 1903 for the purpose of building an art gallery. The building was built from 1908 to 1909 according to plans by the architect Georg Lohr. The ceremonial opening took place on 15 November 1909 by the chairman of the Schleswig-Holstein Art Association, Carl Neumann. Its facade made of shell limestone is indebted to the Neo-Baroque and Art Nouveau styles. In front of the entrance portal are two bison sculptures by August Gaul. In the 1950s, a new staircase was added. After the building was severely damaged in the Second World War and rebuilt in 1958, an extension was built by Diethelm Hoffmann in 1986, which, in addition to additional exhibition space, made it possible to set up a painting class, a video studio and a specialist library. A new entrance area by the Sunder-Plassmann architectural firm has opened the art gallery to the Kiel Fjord since 2012. In addition, the art gallery has a lecture hall, a library, a study room, a small café and a sculpture garden. The museum houses the collection of the Schleswig-Holstein Art Association, founded in 1843. The Kunsthalle's collection ranges from the Dürer period to the present day: art of the 19th century (Romantic painting and paintings by the Russian "wandering painters"), works of classical modernism (German Impressionists and Expressionists, New Objectivity) and international art since 1945. In 1937, in the central " Degenerate Art " campaign, the National Socialists confiscated a significant number of works by Ernst Barlach, Georg Burmester, Lovis Corinth, Heinrich Ehmsen, Lyonel Feininger, Hans Fuglsang, Willi Graba, Hans Grohs, Erich Heckel, Karl Hofer, Hans Holtorf, Gerhard von Kieseritzky (1869–1922), Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Oskar Kokoschka, Werner Lange, Wilhelm Lehmbruck, Alfred Mahlau, Otto Möller, Otto Müller, Edvard Munch, Heinrich Nauen, Otto Niemeyer-Holstein, Emil Nolde, Max Pechstein, Christian Rohlfs, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Elisabeth Sittig, Heinrich Stegemann, Else Wex-Cleemann and Niko Wöhlk from the Kunsthalle. The collection now includes more than 1,200 paintings and 300 sculptures, including works by Nolde, Georg Baselitz, Neo Rauch and Gerhard Richter. The Graphic Arts Collection includes around 30,000 works, including prints by Rembrandt, Adolf Menzel and Otto Dix, as well as photographs and video works. The collection is shown in presentations that change every year. In 2011, the Graphic Collection also received a permanent display window. In addition, an artist is invited once a year to work in the collection presentation. The building also houses the Kiel Collection of Antiquities, established in 1895, with an extensive collection of casts begun in 1838 and many original pieces. It is also affiliated with the university under its own management. A large part of the original collection was destroyed in air raids during the Second World War.

The Kunsthalle is a museum with its own collection and exhibition hall as well as a university institute of the Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel. The building, which was inaugurated in 1909, is also the headquarters of the Schleswig-Holstein Art Association, founded in 1843, and its collection. This multifunctionality makes the art gallery a unique institution in a special location on the Kiel Fjord. In addition to collection presentations, thematic and monographic special exhibitions provide a glimpse of the current art scene and integrate the museum into the international art discourse. However, the art gallery does not only attract visitors to its building through its exhibitions, it also offers a platform for exchange for all age groups. In painting courses and workshops, even the youngest guests are introduced to art in a playful way. Guided tours, concerts and readings in the museum play a key role in the city's cultural offering. After the building was severely damaged in World War II and rebuilt in 1958, an extension was built by Diethelm Hoffmann in 1986, which, in addition to additional exhibition space, made it possible to set up a painting class, a video studio and a specialist library. A new entrance area by the Sunder-Plassmann architectural firm has opened the art gallery up to the Kiel Fjord since 2012. ***PH***