The Adventure of Our Collection II–Kaiser Wilhelm Museum
The Kaiser Wilhelm Museum opened its doors for the first time 120 years ago. Since then, a lot of people have dedicated themselves passionately to the museum. It was Krefeld citizens who at the end of the nineteenth century drummed up the funds to build the museum, and who presented it with its first core collection. At the end of the 1960s, young artists such as Christo, Hans Haacke, Timm Ulrichs, Bernar Venet and many more took a deep look at the Haus Lange museum and devised projects tailored to it, thus founding the site-specific tradition that has continued to this day.
The Adventure of Our Collection II presents for the first time both of these forms of engagement in two long, fascinating storylines. The presentation on the first floor tells of the donors, patrons and benefactors who have gifted works to the Kunstmuseen Krefeld; the exhibition on the second floor focuses on the interaction between artists and museum, because around 1900, under the influence of the Reform Movement, an intensive exchange of ideas was already coming about with contemporary artists such as Otto Eckmann and Johan Thorn Prikker.
A crossover of works from the Late Middle Ages to the present, including sculptures and paintings, photographs, art prints, arts and crafts objects and video pieces, reflects the truly fascinating story of the collection and the museum. After the re-opening of the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum in summer 2016 and the first presentation from the holdings, The Adventure of Our Collection II shows the museum as an interactive center where personal passions, social awareness and artistic programming all come together.
Artists (selection)
Allora & Calzadilla, Joseph Beuys, KP Brehmer, Paul Dresler, Otto Eckmann, Andreas Gursky, Hans Haacke, Adolf Hölzel, Walter Leblanc, Franz von Lenbach, Alfred Mohrbutter, Claude Monet, Emil Nolde, Johan Thorn Prikker, Daniel Spoerri, Rosemarie Trockel, Andreas Slominski and many more
Curator: Dr. Sylvia Martin
