Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne (must see)

The Wallraf–Richartz Museum is a prominent art museum. It is one of the three major museums in the city and boasts a collection of fine art from the medieval period to the early twentieth century. The museum's origins date back to 1824 when the comprehensive collection of medieval art from Ferdinand Franz Wallraf came to the city of Cologne by inheritance.

The first building was donated by Johann Heinrich Richartz, and the museum was opened in 1861, just after his death. The museum's collection was regularly expanded by donations, especially the Haubrich collection of contemporary art in 1946. In 1976, the collection was split, and the new Museum Ludwig took over the exhibition of 20th-century art.
The current building, designed by Oswald Mathias Ungers, was opened in 2001 and is located near the Cologne City Hall.

The museum houses an impressive collection of Gothic paintings, including the Madonna in the Rose Bower by Stefan Lochner, which is considered typical of his style. Lochner's work usually has a clean appearance, combining the Gothic attention to long flowing lines with brilliant colors and a Flemish influence of realism and attention to detail. Another outstanding Gothic painting in the Wallraf-Richartz's collection is an Arrest of Jesus by the "Master of the Karlsruhe Passion."

It also boasts early Renaissance works, including an altarpiece from the Great Saint Martin Church in Cologne by Jacob van Utrecht. Among other early Renaissance works in the collection are the Adoration of the Child by an unknown artist, previously thought to have been painted by Hieronymus Bosch, and a panel of the Jabach Altarpiece by Albrecht Dürer.

The museum's collection includes works by Baroque and Rococo artists such as Rubens, Rembrandt, Jordaens, Frans Snyders, van Dyck, Frans Hals, Gerard van Honthorst, Pieter de Hooch, Gerard de Lairesse, François Boucher, Nicolas de Largillierre, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Marguerite Gérard, and Giambattista Pittoni.

In addition, the museum also features works by impressionists such as Monet, Pissarro, Sisley, Gustave Caillebotte, and Berthe Morisot, whose Child among staked roses or "Kind zwischen Stockrosen" was painted in 1881. However, the museum made headlines in 2008 when it was revealed that a Monet painting, On the Banks of the Seine by Port Villez, was a forgery. X-ray and infrared testing revealed that a "colorless substance" had been applied to the canvas to make it appear older. Despite this discovery, the museum still has five authentic Monet paintings in its collection.

Why You Should Visit:
Especially noteworthy for its medieval paintings, but acts as an art glossary or an art-Wikipedia, or if you more prefer a virtual museum, where you can find all relevant data concerning the articles on art terms, historical events, personages, cities, museums, and churches.

Tip:
There's a big shop-cafeteria area downstairs where you can sit down for a break or when you've finished.