Famous paintings, such as Rubens’ Ascension or Cranach’s Unequal Couple, meet exhibits that make many a visitor wonder: Birkenstock sandals and an Aldi bag, for example. Is that art? Of course it is!

Whether miniature or monumental work, everyday object or piece of jewellery, sculpture or porcelain, drawing or interactive VR installation – this collection unites all genres. Thanks to regular new additions and rearrangements as well as temporary interventions and special presentations such as Kunstpalast in Bloom, the permanent collection is always on the move and there is always something new to discover on the tour.

The museum’s collection is extensive, with around 130,000 objects from 11 centuries, various continents and all eras and genres. In addition to the historical holdings of the Düsseldorf Art Academy, other significant contributions to the main collection are the works from the Willi Kemp Foundation and those donated by Wolfgang Hanck.

The presentation of the collection is generously supported by the City of Düsseldorf and our sponsors and museum gallery sponsors.

PalACE STUDIO

Being creative together

Rhino palast

Hidden rooms by Christoph Niemann

Meet Anna Maria

The Taste of kunstpalast

Made in Düsseldorf is an exhibition series organised by the Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf in cooperation with the Kunstpalast and the NRW-Forum. It is dedicated to contemporary artists who are connected to Düsseldorf and the Rhineland through their studies, their place of residence or their artistic content.

The seventh exhibition, titled BLICKWINKEL (Perspectives), features photographic works from the Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf’s art collection. The presentation will be supplemented by works by Tata Ronkholz loaned from a private collection in Düsseldorf.

Over time, photography has evolved from a purely documentary technique designed to capture the world in images into a versatile medium of expression with considerable scope for interpretation. Spanning three chapters and featuring six artists, the exhibition presents different – sometimes contrasting – approaches with a variety of techniques and perspectives on artistic photography as a form of documentation or expression.

Commitment to the Kunstpalast/NRW-Forum

The Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf has been supporting the NRW-Forum in its exhibition and education projects as a partner of the institution since 2017. This year marks the first time that the exhibition is being shown at the Kunstpalast since the NRW-Forum merged with it in 2020. Promoting the arts and supporting cultural institutions in Düsseldorf represent an important part of the Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf’s social commitment.

The Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf’s art collection was launched in the 1970s by Fritz Kulins, then chairman of the board. The first works found their way into the collection through corporate exhibitions. The works added to the collection were primarily by students at the art academy, but also by important representatives of the Düsseldorf art scene.

In 2008, a cooperation with the Kunstpalast resulted in the Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf’s collection at the Kunstpalast. With these new acquisitions and the focus on the medium of photography, the Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf is helping the Kunstpalast to expand its photography collection. In the annual Made in Düsseldorf exhibition, a selection of these new acquisitions – which are based on recommendations made by Linda Conze, the head of the photography collection at the Kunstpalast – are presented to the public. This year, four new acquisitions from the previous year are on display: three works by Rita McBride and a photograph by Tata Ronkholz.

Curator: Esther Breinig, curator of the Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf’s art collection

What is the world – and what is it made of? Is there something that links everything together? The exhibition The Fifth Element: Works from the Kemp Collection is dedicated to the basic building blocks of nature and expands the classical theory of the four elements – earth, fire, water and air – to include an overarching dimension: the fifth element symbolises the unifying and visionary forces at work when grappling with the mysteries of the world.

The Kemp Collection
The Kemp Collection is one of the most outstanding German private collections of twentieth- and twenty-first-century art. Alongside abstract paintings, works by the ZERO group, sculptures and works on paper, exceptional works of Art Informel and colour field painting form the core of the collection, which was established by Willi Kemp together with his wife Ingrid, who sadly passed away at an early age. In 2011, around 3000 works were donated to the Kunstpalast and Kemp established the Kemp Collection Foundation for the research and mediation of the collection. His donation has significantly enriched the Kunstpalast collection and is regularly presented in exhibitions.

In her early years, art meant public action for Chris Reinecke (*1936). At the end of the 1960s, the artist, who studied and still lives in Düsseldorf, invited passers-by into her studio or carried out artistic performances on the street in order to reach as many people as possible. This exhibition shows objects, drawings and photos from this period, some of which are being presented for the first time.

Reinecke and her former husband, the artist Jörg Immendorff (1945-2007), rented a room in Pempelfort in 1968 where they organised exhibitions and events such as creative workshops for adults. Shortly afterwards, they founded the “Büro Olympia” in the city centre, which campaigned against the politically motivated promotion of high-performance sports. The place became a focal point for other political groups such as “Mietersolidarität” (“Tenant Solidarity”), which fought for rent control.

In her 1970 manifesto “Kunst Muss Sein” (“Art Is Necessary”), Reinecke explained her understanding of art as a democratic medium that should be open to all. In 2023, she donated a collection of early works to the Kunstpalast that visualise this way of thinking.

Curator: Gunda Luyken, Head of the Department of Prints and Drawings, Kunstpalast &
Claudia Petersen, Head of Prints and Drawings Study Room, Kunstpalast

DIE GROSSE presents art from all over North Rhine-Westphalia every year. Organised by the VzVvK e.V., it traditionally takes place at the Kunstpalast and the NRW-Forum.

Works of art by around 180 artists from all disciplines, selected by a jury of experts, are shown in four halls and in the outdoor area. DIE GROSSE is a reflection of current developments in the art scene and is regarded as a meeting place for the professional sector. What makes it special: All works in the exhibition are for sale. DAS KLEINE FORMAT, a separate area with small-format artworks, offers art for as little as 300 euros! Visitors can also look forward to an exciting supporting programme on Thursdays and Sundays.

Artists represented in the exhibition:

Victoria Åberg | Amalie Bensinger | Fanny Churberg | Mathilde Dietrichson | Alma Erdmann | Ilna Ewers-Wunderwald | Alexandra Frosterus-Såltin | Marta Hegemann | Minna Heeren | Adeline Jaeger | Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann | Marga Klinckenberg | Benita Koch -Otte | Magda Kröner | Gertrud von Kunowski | Marie Laurencin | Emmy Lischke | Amalia Lindegren | Luise von Martens | Paula Monjé | Gabriele Münter | Emilie Preyer | Sophie Ribbing | Julia Schily-Koppers | Christiane Schreiber | Martel Schwichtenberg | Alwine Schroedters | Hermine Stilke | Milly Steger | Emma Volck | Marie Wiegmann

The exhibition is the result of extensive in-depth research as well as a critical examination of the history of the museum’s own collection. Indeed, the Kunstpalast – founded in 1913 as the Düsseldorf Municipal Art Collections – played a role in this structural exclusion: prior to 1933, the museum had only purchased four paintings by women artists. It was not until recent decades that a significant shift began to take place. Since 2017, under the direction of Felix Krämer, there has been a targeted acquisition of works by women artists, including 15 paintings by nineteenth-century artists such as Emilie Preyer, Paula Monjé and Emmy Lischke, who are represented in the exhibition.

The exhibition uncovers buried histories and sheds light on the ways in which women pursued their artistic careers despite structural disadvantages. It shows courageous paths and smart decisions, telling the story of women artists whose work paved the way for what should be the norm today: equal opportunities for all, including in the arts.

There is also a special focus on women artists from Scandinavia and Finland who chose Düsseldorf as a venue for their education and inspiration. The exhibition was conceived in close cooperation with the Ateneum Art Museum / Finnish National Gallery in Helsinki, which hosted the exhibition Crossing Borders: Travelling Women Artists in the 1800s from March to August 2025 and attracted over 200,000 visitors.