July 12, 2026 – October 18, 2026
Daphne Wright – Memory and Presence
The Irish sculptor's first solo show in continental Europe, with nearly life-size, mostly white figures and installations about transience and stages of life.
Gerhard-Marcks-Haus
Sculpture museum in the Neoclassical Ostertorwache on Bremen's Wallanlagen: the work of Gerhard Marcks and exhibitions of modern sculpture.
Opening hoursAdmission from €5 Wheelchair accessible
Current exhibitions
July 12, 2026 – October 18, 2026
Christian Schilling – Wunderkammer
Figures and multipart objects by the Bremen artist, poised between comic-book aesthetics and art-historical allusions.
September 26, 2026 – December 13, 2026
Usha Seejarim – Life Force
Cabinet exhibition of works on paper by the South African artist, who also created the new memorial next to the museum.
November 1, 2026 – February 14, 2027
Wolfgang Wagner-Kutschker – Senza titolo ma molto sentimento
Retrospective of the sculptor known for non-representational sculptures made of black-lacquered panels.
November 1, 2026 – February 14, 2027
Jónína Mjöll Þormóðsdóttir – Náttúran
Works by the Icelandic artist about migratory birds and waterfowl, most recently using feathers as her main material.
May 23, 2027 – August 22, 2027
Martine Andernach
Exhibition on the French-German sculptor and her highly reduced, abstracted figures (announced in the education program).
About the museum
The sculptor Gerhard Marcks (1889–1981), creator of the Town Musicians of Bremen statue at the town hall, among other works, decided in the 1960s to establish his artistic estate in Bremen. At the suggestion of Günter Busch, then director of the Kunsthalle, the Gerhard-Marcks-Stiftung was founded in 1969, supported by the artist's family, the Kunstverein Bremen, and the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen.
In September 1971, the museum opened in the former Ostertorwache, a Neoclassical guardhouse and lock-up from the 1820s designed by Friedrich Moritz Stamm, which is now a listed building. Around 1990/91, an extension was added on the south side; a small neighboring pavilion from 1904 has also served as exhibition space since then.
What began as a single-artist collection has developed into a museum of modern and contemporary sculpture. Its core consists of several hundred sculptures and thousands of drawings and prints by Marcks, plus the estates of other sculptors such as Waldemar Grzimek and Gerhart Schreiter, as well as works by other artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
The museum also sees itself as a research institute for the history of sculpture and mainly presents monographic exhibitions with a focus on figurative approaches. It has been directed by Arie Hartog since 2009; together with the neighboring Kunsthalle and the Wilhelm-Wagenfeld-Haus, it forms part of Bremen's Kulturmeile (culture mile).
Highlights
- Gerhard Marcks's estate with sculptures, drawings, and prints
- Monographic temporary exhibitions on modern and contemporary sculpture
- Neoclassical Ostertorwache on the Wallanlagen ramparts park
- Estates of Waldemar Grzimek and Gerhart Schreiter
- Open until 21:00 on Thursdays, free admission every first Thursday of the month
- Founded
- 1971
- Operated by
- Gerhard-Marcks-Stiftung
- Director
- Dr. Arie Hartog
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 18 · Children and young people up to 18 free, as are school students. |
| Seniors | –No separate senior rate; standard price €5. |
| Students & apprentices | –Free for, among others, students of art history, of the University of Bremen (Faculty 9), of the HfK and HKS, and with the Kultursemesterticket. |
| Groups | –Group tour Tue–Fri €45, Sat/Sun €55 plus admission; also outside opening hours by arrangement. |
| Families | –No family rate; children up to 18 free. |
| Supporter admission (voluntary) | €10Full admission for anyone who would like to support the museum |
Free admission: Free admission for everyone every first Thursday of the month
The standard ticket is a reduced price of €5 for everyone; those who wish can pay €10. Also free for members of the friends' association, teachers with a teacher ID card, and members of DMB, ICOM, BBK, GEDOK, and IGBK. With a full-price ticket from one of the seven participating Bremen museums, reduced admission on the same day and the following day.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials
- Audio description: no information
Ramp to the right of the main entrance; all exhibition rooms, the coatroom, lockers, and restrooms can be reached by elevator. Loan wheelchair and portable seats available. Three accessible parking spaces between the Kunsthalle and the Gerhard-Marcks-Haus. Website with information in Easy German (Leichte Sprache) and sign language.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 18 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Stroller-friendly
- Playground / play area
Child-friendly programs for daycare groups (touching, painting, modeling); every year on October 3, the event "Türen auf für die Maus" (Open Doors for the Mouse) with storage-depot tours and a studio. Access with a stroller via the ramp to the right of the main entrance; all exhibition rooms are reachable by elevator. Public playground "Robinsönchen" right next door.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Theater am Goetheplatz · 50 m
Tram 2 or 3 to "Theater am Goetheplatz" (about 50 m); tram 4, 6, 8 or bus 24, 25 to "Domsheide", then about 400 m outbound toward Ostertor. From the main train station about 1.2 km on foot through the Wallanlagen.
By car
Parking available
No visitor parking of its own; BREPARK parking garages Ostertor/Kulturmeile (Osterdeich 1–3) and Am Dom (Wilhadistraße 1), as well as the Violenstraße parking garage. Three accessible parking spaces about 20 m to the right of the entrance.
- Accessible parking
From the A1, take the Bremen-Hemelingen exit toward Weserstadion; from the A27, take the Bremen-Überseestadt or Bremen-Vahr exits; the parking guidance system leads to the parking garages.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Coat check
- Lockers
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Public guided tours Thu at 17:00 and Sun at 12:00, free (plus admission, no registration required). School programs, including as part of the Bremer Schuloffensive, and studio courses for adults. |
