Posted by The Museum Folkwang is one of the best-known museums focusing on modern art in Germany. The museum was opened more than 100 years ago, in 1902. The art museum has been world-famous since the new museum building in the city of Essen was completed in 2010. Since then, the Folkwang has been known not only for its paintings and sculptures, but also for the grandiose architecture of the large, ultra-modern new building.
The art museum in Essen was designed by the famous star architect David Chipperfield. The new building was financed by the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation. Alfried Krupp was the owner of Friedrich Krupp AG, which was once one of the largest industrial companies in the world (especially heavy industry, steel). By the way, tourists also like to visit the Krupp family home, Villa Hugel, in the south of Essen.
The Folkwang Art Museum in Essen exhibits around 600 paintings, almost 300 sculptures and many thousands of other objects such as graphics and photographs. Among them are many world-famous paintings, for example from Impressionism, Expressionism and more recent works of art from the 20th century.
Some famous paintings at the Folkwang: For example, we particularly liked three paintings by Van Gogh: “The Harvest” (landscape), “Armand Roulin” (portrait) and “Cornfield with Reaper” (landscape). Other highlights in the collection at the Essen Museum are “Bottle, Guitar and Pipe” by Pablo Picasso or “Woman with Fan” by Paul Gauguin. Other famous artists whose works can be admired in the Museum für Kunst in Essen are, for example, by Rene Magrittes, Claude Monet, Caspar David Friedrich, Emil Nolde, Max Ernst, Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee. Our impression is that artists from Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands are particularly well represented in the Folkwank Museum.
Architecture of the building: We liked the new museum very much. We were particularly impressed by the clear forms and the large glass surfaces. The large glass walls let a lot of daylight into the building, especially from the beautiful inner courtyards with well-tended lawns and plants. Interior and exterior become one.
Admission fees Folkwang Museum Essen 2024: Admission is free, only the special exhibitions charge admission.
Opening hours Folkwang Museum 2024: The exhibition is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am. Opening hours end at 6 pm, Thursday and Friday even at 8 pm. Monday is a day of rest, as in many museums in the Ruhr area. The museum is also open on most public holidays, except Shrove Monday, Christmas (24.12. and 25.12.) and New Year’s Eve (31.12.).
Directions to the large art museum in Essen: The two nearest underground stations are “Philharmonie” and “Rüttenscheider Stern”. Both are a 5 to 10 minute walk from the Folkwang Museum. The U11 and the two trams 101 and 107 stop at both stations, and the underground 17 stop “Planckstraße” is also not too far away. It takes a good 20 minutes to walk from Essen main station. The Kunstmuseum is signposted at the station. You do not walk in the direction of the pedestrian zone or city centre, but rather take the rear exit of Essen main station in a southerly direction. The Folkwang is in the Rüttenscheid district. It is a good area with many restaurants and other cultural facilities such as Essen’s beautiful Philharmonie or the Aalto Musiktheater. Rüttenscheid is roughly between the city centre and the Grugapark.
Other art museums
– Another very well-known museum of modern art is the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich: More info here
– The Museum Quadrat in Bottrop (only about 10 kilometres from Essen) is also popular with lovers of modern art: More info here
One of the most visited art museums in the world is the Uffizi Gallery in Florence / Italy. More info on this link
– even more famous is the Prado Museum in the Spanish capital Madrid and the Louvre in Paris More information