Privately endowed museum of abstract art after 1945 from Europe, the US and Japan, housed in Fumihiko Maki's building on Wiesbaden's Kulturboulevard.
15. marts 2026 – 25. oktober 2026
The first major show in Germany of the Austrian painter, who was celebrated in New York around 1960 and then withdrew to Styria; his large-format paintings always start from what he has seen.
15. november 2026 – 11. april 2027
Works from the 1950s by the Hungarian-French painter, part of a joint project with the Museum Wiesbaden and the Nassauischer Kunstverein recalling the legendary 1950s Wiesbaden exhibition “Couleur vivante”.
The Wiesbaden entrepreneur Reinhard Ernst, founder of the gear manufacturer Harmonic Drive, built up an extensive collection of abstract painting and sculpture from the 1980s onward. To make it permanently accessible to the public, he and his wife set up the Reinhard & Sonja Ernst-Stiftung, a foundation that built, funds and runs the museum. Oliver Kornhoff has led the museum as its founding director since late 2021.
The design came from the Japanese Pritzker Prize laureate Fumihiko Maki and was realized together with the Frankfurt firm schneider+schumacher. On the site at the corner of Wilhelmstraße and Rheinstraße, more than 80 million euros went into a cubic building clad in light granite, with a central open atrium, around 2,500 square meters of exhibition space and an event hall, the Maki-Forum. Maki died on June 6, 2024, just days before the opening on June 23, 2024.
The collection includes more than 960 works and brings together three strands of postwar abstraction: European and German Art Informel, American Abstract Expressionism, and Japanese postwar abstraction, such as the Gutai group. There are also commissioned works by contemporary artists like Tony Cragg and Katharina Grosse. The collection display “Farbe ist alles!” (Color Is Everything!) is accompanied by changing special exhibitions – in 2025, for example, on Helen Frankenthaler.
Around 100,000 visitors came in the first six months alone. Education is a particular focus: in the mornings the museum is reserved for school classes and educational institutions, and children and young people under 18 always get in free.
| Voksne | 14 € |
|---|---|
| Nedsat pris | 12 €University students, trainees, members of German museum associations, holders of the Wiesbaden Kurkarte and tourist cards, groups of 10 or more, and holders of an admission ticket from the Museum Wiesbaden or the Nassauischer Kunstverein (valid on the same and the next opening day) |
| Børn og unge | gratisgratis til og med 17 år · Children and young people under 18 are admitted free, as are school classes including two accompanying adults. |
| Pensionister | –No senior discount. |
| Personer med handicap | gratisledsager gratis · People with disabilities are admitted free. |
| Studerende og elever | 12 €Reduced; art and design students free as part of their studies. |
| Grupper (fra 10 pers.) | 12 € pr. personReduced admission for groups of 10 or more, tickets at the museum ticket desk. Group tours for up to 20 people (larger groups are split) must be booked at least one week in advance; free cancellation up to 48 hours before. |
| Annual pass “Ultramarinblau” (Ultramarine Blue, under 30) | 45 € |
| Annual pass “Karminrot” (Carmine Red, 30 and over) | 90 €Includes 10% off in the shop and a welcome drink. |
| Annual pass “Cadmiumgelb” (Cadmium Yellow, 30 and over with companion) | 120 €Free admission for the cardholder and one companion, 10% off in the shop and a welcome drink. |
One ticket covers the collection and special exhibitions. Tickets are for a specific date and non-refundable. Free admission also for press, ICOM members and recipients of Bürgergeld, basic income support, housing benefit or benefits under the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act.
Accessible side entrance to the right of the main entrance on Rheinstraße (bell). Ticket holders can use the elevator on their own. Two accessible parking spaces right by the museum on Rheinstraße. Folding stools at the ticket desk. The media guide supports free induction loops for hearing aids. Information in Easy Read German on the website. Leashed assistance dogs are welcome.
Velegnet til børn og familier
| Besøgets varighed | ca. 2 t. |
|---|---|
| Entré for børn | gratis til og med 17 år |
Family tours twice a month on Saturdays at 12:30 (90 minutes), workshops and children's birthday parties. In the Color Lab (Saturdays from 12:00, for everyone aged 4 to 99) visitors can experiment for themselves. Children's tour "Where is Moby?" on the media guide and a Tonie adventure tour with explorer card for ages 4 to 9. Strollers are allowed in the exhibition and can be parked in the basement; baby changing table in the basement restroom. Daycare and school groups are given preference in the mornings.
Rhein-Main-CongressCenter (RMCC)
Bus 1, 4, 8, 14, 24 or 27 to the RMCC stop; about a 15-minute walk from the main train station along Friedrich-Ebert-Allee.
Parkering muligt
CONTIPARK underground garage of the RheinMain CongressCenter diagonally opposite (Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 1, open around the clock). Two free accessible parking spaces on Rheinstraße; coach parking on Friedrich-Ebert-Allee and at the Reisinger-Anlagen. Bicycle racks next to the building on Rheinstraße.
Restaurant “rue 1 by gollner’s” with bistro and terrace (Tue–Sat 11:00–24:00, Sun 11:00–18:00, no museum ticket needed). Museum shop open during museum hours. Coat check and lockers in the basement; backpacks and bags larger than letter size (A4) must be checked. Strollers are allowed in the galleries. Parking garage (Contipark) across the street, bus parking on Friedrich-Ebert-Allee. Free Wi-Fi throughout the building.
Op til 250 personer.
Available for rent: the Maki-Forum (event hall, up to 250 people), foyer, atrium, color lab and exhibition rooms – for corporate events, weddings, concerts, galas or parties; support with catering and technical equipment.
Forespørgsel & detaljer| Rundvisninger | ja · varighed ca. 60 min. |
|---|---|
| Audioguide | ja (DE, EN) |
| Tilbud til skoler | ja |
| Fotografering | Photography for private use is allowed without flash or equipment (tripod, selfie stick); copyright and personal rights must be respected. |
| Godt at vide | Media guide with augmented reality features available to rent for €4 or free as an app (German/English), plus the children's tour “Wo ist Moby?” and a Tonie adventure tour for kids aged 4 to 9. Regular public guided tours (including the architecture tour “mre Blickwinkel”, the overview tour “Alles Kunst!” and a tour in English every third Wednesday evening), bookable through the online shop. |
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