Museum Ludwig, Köln
In 1976, the donation of approximately 300 works of art from the collection of Irene and Peter Ludwig prompted the foundation of the "Museum Ludwig“. With this, the City of Cologne created an independent institution for the art of the 20th century, whereby the significant Modern Art Collections of the Wallraf Richartz Museum, especially the Haubrich Collection of German Expressionism, were integrated into the new museum.
The new and highly impressive building near the Cologne Cathedral was completed in 1986 and also houses the Cologne Philharmonic Hall and the Wallraf Richartz Museum. When the Wallraf-Richartz Museum moved to its new premises in 2000, the entire exhibition space of the building complex on the Rhine was be made available solely to the "Museum Ludwig“.
The works of art from the Ludwig Collection are focused around three central positions, which contribute to the classification of the Museum Ludwig among the most significant institutions for the art of the 20th century worldwide. The Museum holds, for example, the most comprehensive collection of early Russian Avant-Garde artworks outside of Russia. In addition, American and British Pop Art is represented with countless examples of outstanding importance. In 1994, Irene and Peter Ludwig made a spectacular donation of 90 works by Pablo Picasso. This was complemented by additional loans of works by the Spanish master, so that, today, all periods of his extensive oeuvre are represented in the Museum Ludwig in an exemplary fashion. Finally, the museum also boasts a significant collection of Contemporary German Art of excellent quality.
