Kölnischer Kunstverein

The Kölnischer Kunstverein was founded in 1839 and is one of the oldest and most renowned exhibition institutions for contemporary art in Germany. Since 2003, the Kunstverein has been housed in the “Brücke.” The building was constructed in 1949/50 by the well-known Cologne architect Wilhelm Riphahn with the aim of establishing a symbolic place of dialogue in the city destroyed by war. This was an objective that understood art and culture as a medium of understanding and reconciliation between people and nations scarred by war.

Today more than ever, the architecture, the location in the center of Cologne, and above all the historical context of the building offer interesting conditions for the presentation, communication, and discussion of contemporary art. For this reason, the Kölnischer Kunstverein has adopted the symbolic term “Brücke” as a productive guiding principle for its work.

Through the realization of changing exhibitions by international artists, a bridge is to be built to contemporary art and its communication, to the promotion of young artists, to other disciplines such as film, design, and music, and, last but not least, between the exhibiting artists, the members, and the visitors of the Kunstverein.