About us

The Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany – in short, the Bundeskunsthalle – is a unique venue devoted to art, culture and science. Central to the programming are exhibitions of art of all periods, including contemporary art, as well as shows devoted to cultural history, archaeology, science and other areas of knowledge. Further to these exhibitions, the Bundeskunsthalle develops and presents an independent performing arts programme with guest performances and in-house productions by different artists and ensembles from the world of theatre, performance, dance and music.

The Bundeskunsthalle sets out to look not only at Western culture, but to take a global view. Equally important is the institution’s commitment to wider audience participation in culture and to comprehensive social and cross-cultural inclusion and integration. This commitment is reflected not only in the exhibitions themselves but also in the accompanying programme of events, which include discussions, lectures, talks, guided tours and workshops.

Through its many cooperative projects, the Bundeskunsthalle has established an international network of contacts with cultural and scientific institutions and gained access to wider audiences whose input and responses are valued as part of an ongoing dialogue. The exhibitions and events hosted by the Bundeskunsthalle are integral to the institution’s remit to act both nationally and internationally as a showcase for the open and inclusive concept of culture that is central to the identity of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The range of themes covered has expanded significantly since 1992. Major exhibitions devoted to modern art such as Max Liebermann (2011) were complemented by exhibitions that pursued new scholarly approaches such as Napoleon and Europe – Dream and Trauma (2010/11), archaeological shows such as Gandhara – The Buddhist Heritage of Pakistan (2008) or ethnographic ones such as James Cook and the Exploration of the Pacific (2009). The exhibition The Museum of Modern Art, New York – From Cézanne to Pollock (1992) was the first in an ongoing series of shows entitled The Great Collections, in which we have presented the collections of more than thirty of the world’s leading museums. Art and Culture in Papal Rome – High Renaissance in the Vatican (1998), which drew on the holdings of the Vatican Museums, was a milestone exhibition, as was the enormously popular presentation of The Guggenheim (2006). Contemporary artists, too, have come to see the Art and Exhibition Hall as an important venue. After the inaugural exhibition devoted to Niki de Saint Phalle in 1992, artists such as Sam Francis (1993), Gerhard Richter (1993) and Sigmar Polke (1997) were honoured with major retrospectives, as were Georg Baselitz (2004), Markus Lüpertz (2009), Liam Gillick (2010), Thomas Schütte (2010), Heinz Mack (2011) and Anselm Kiefer (2012).

The Forum, an event room with up to 550 seats, hosts congresses and symposiums, discussion events, readings, performances, festivals, film, dance and theater screenings. In addition, the art education department offers a wealth of workshops, guided tours and lectures for each exhibition. The publicly accessible art library, the museum shop, the Restaurant Gustav and the gastronomy on the roof of the Bundeskunsthalle present further offers and suggestions.

The idea of a ‘Federal Kunsthalle’ is as old as the Bonn republic itself and the debate about the shape its capital was to take. But whereas Bonn’s political future was still hanging in the balance – the decisive parliamentary vote was not taken until 3 November 1949 – the project of the ‘Federal Kunsthalle’ had already found its first lobbyists. On 17 October 1949 the local newspaper reported that 120 invited artists had discussed the possibility of constructing an art and exhibition hall in Bonn. After forty years of endless debate about the shape, location and function of such an institution, on 17 October 1989 Chancellor Helmut Kohl finally laid the foundation stone of the Gustav Peichl-designed building.

The Bundeskunsthalle was inaugurated on 17 June 1992. The concept behind the Bundeskunsthalle was absolutely unprecedented. Nowhere in the Western world was there an institutional model for a highly symbolic cultural centre created solely for the purpose of prestigious temporary exhibitions.

The striking building on the erstwhile ‘diplomatic racetrack’ was designed by the Viennese architect Gustav Peichl. It was the serene poetic character of his design that tipped the scales in his favour and singled it out among the thirty-five entries submitted to the jury of the initial ideas competition.

The jury protocol of October 1986 states: ‘Both in terms of function and design, the revised concept seeks to reflect the democracy at the heart of Europe in the new building of the Federal Kunsthalle. The well-conceived, fully functional internal space and the poetic character of the exterior imbue the building with a highly distinctive physiognomy. (…) Clad in stone and copper sheeting, the eye-catching, individually designed light spires signal the cultural and artistic content of the building.’

The three iconic cones – now resplendent in bright blue majolica tiles – quickly came to be seen not just as the emblem of the new kunsthalle, but as an instantly recognisable landmark of the city of Bonn. The building provides a differentiated and versatile system of small, medium and large rooms with a total of 5,600 square metres that can be lit with daylight and artificial light. The configuration of the galleries meets practically every requirement a curator might have, allowing for large-scale exhibitions as well as for more intimate cabinet presentations. The landscaped roof garden – Peichl referred to it as the ‘fifth façade’ – serves as a public space for sculpture and garden exhibitions and adds another 8,000 square metres to the exhibition space available.