Art lending and exhibition space for young art in the late Gothic Haus Saaleck near Cologne Cathedral; admission free.
November 5, 2026 – December 19, 2026
Large-format colourful paintings by the artist show people from her personal surroundings and address themes such as Black and queer experiences, and textiles as carriers of history. Part of the Friedrich-Vordemberge-Stipendium 2026.
The artothek was founded in 1973, when the idea arose of lending contemporary art much like books. The initiator was the art historian Horst-Johannes Tümmers, then director of the city library. The artothek was based in Haus Saaleck, a late Gothic townhouse of the 15th century south of the cathedral, whose interior from the 1950s now frames the lending and the exhibitions. From the start, the artothek worked with the Kölnischer Kunstverein (Cologne Art Association) and the Museum Ludwig, and soon mounted its own exhibitions as well.
In 1994 the initiative "Rettet die artothek" (Save the artothek) saved the house from imminent closure; since then the association "Freunde der artothek Köln" (Friends of the artothek Cologne) has supported its work. Since 2008 the institution has belonged to the Kulturamt (cultural office) of the City of Cologne.
The collection comprises around 1,600 works by international and Cologne artists, from early pioneers through postwar avant-gardists to contemporary artists. For a small fee they can be taken home for ten weeks. The room for young art also shows changing exhibitions of painting, drawing, photography, installation and performance; a changing panel of experts decides on the program.
Admission is free.
| Borrowing card (per year) | €5 |
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| Loan of an artwork (10 weeks, including insurance) | €7 |
Admission is free. Art lending requires an annual fee for the borrowing card and a loan fee per work.
Limited wheelchair access.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Dom/Hauptbahnhof
Hauptbahnhof (main station, by train and S-Bahn) and the Dom/Hauptbahnhof stop (bus and U-Bahn), each about 5 to 10 minutes on foot.
Parking at the cathedral, at the Philharmonie and at Groß St. Martin.
No services and no catering.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
| Good to know | In addition to the exhibitions, artworks can be borrowed; on site there are orientation aids for the works available for loan, an archive on the Cologne art scene, and a selection of international art magazines. |
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