Künstlerhaus Marktoberdorf

About the museum

The foundation was laid in 1997 by the Kunst- und Kulturstiftung Dr. Geiger-Haus (Dr. Geiger-Haus Art and Culture Foundation), which the then former mayor Franz Schmid established together with the town of Marktoberdorf. The starting point was a bourgeois villa from 1923 that Dr. Julius Geiger had already given to the town in 1969. Besides public and private grants, Schmid bore a large part of the cost of an extension; the town contributed its collection of Swabian contemporary art. Since 2001 both buildings have been run together as the Künstlerhaus Marktoberdorf.

Architecturally, the new building, the Franz Schmid-Haus, stands out above all: the Swiss architects Bearth & Deplazes designed two slightly offset cubes of exposed brickwork, connected to the older building by a glass passage. A walled forecourt with gates of Corten steel forms the entrance. The listed Geiger-Haus was renovated in 2022 and offers additional exhibition space.

The museum shows three to four temporary exhibitions a year. A fixed component is the Ostallgäu Art Exhibition (Ostallgäuer Kunstausstellung), organized by the town since 1978 and held at the Künstlerhaus since 2006; from it the town regularly acquires works for its collection, which by now comprises more than 250 works. In 2013 and 2016 the Franz Hitzler Collection was added through an endowment; with 52 large-format paintings and more than 350 works on paper, it is the world's largest museum holding of this Ostallgäu painter. Every five years the museum also hosts the exhibition JUNGE KUNST for the Förderpreis (promotion prize) of the Antonia und Hermann Götz-Stiftung. At the turn of 2027 a new artistic director takes over.

Highlights

• Museum new building by Bearth & Deplazes (2001) in exposed brickwork
• World's largest museum holding of works by Franz Hitzler
• Municipal collection of Swabian contemporary art with over 250 works
• Annual Ostallgäu Art Exhibition with art prizes
• Renovated Dr. Geiger-Haus, a villa from 1923

Founded

2001

Operated by

Kunst- und Kulturstiftung Dr. Geiger-Haus

Admission & discounts

Admission applies to the exhibition currently on view. Architecture tours are included in the admission.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The new building is fully accessible, as is the ground floor of the older building (Dr. Geiger-Haus). Its upper floor – a small part of the exhibition space – can only be reached by stairs.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

For every exhibition there are workshop sessions and workshops for children and teenagers, plus project weeks and programs for kindergartens and schools.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Small museum shop, including the architecture guide to the Künstlerhaus.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit