Museum Angewandte Kunst

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The museum’s collection was started in 1877 on the initiative of the Mitteldeutscher Kunstgewerbe-Verein (Central German Applied Arts Association); the museum and an applied arts school were officially founded in 1879. In 1920, the City of Frankfurt took over the institutions, and it remains their sponsor today. After the destruction of World War II, what was then the Museum für Kunsthandwerk found a home from the 1960s in the neoclassical Villa Metzler on Schaumainkai.

American architect Richard Meier won the competition for the new building. His building, opened in 1985 – the first Meier building in Germany – adopts the proportions of the Villa Metzler and wraps around it at an angle; a glass bridge connects the old and new buildings. The bright, white rooms open onto Metzlerpark through large windows.

The holdings comprise around 65,000 objects spanning some five millennia, focusing on European applied arts and design from the 12th to the 21st century, Islamic and East Asian art, and book art and graphics. Since 2012, the museum has been directed by Matthias Wagner K; after a reconception it received its current name in 2013 and has since made a name for itself with thematic exhibitions on design, fashion, lifestyles, and society. The Ikonenmuseum (Icon Museum) in the Deutschordenskommende in Sachsenhausen also belongs to the museum.

Highlights

• Museum building by Richard Meier (1985), his first building in Germany
• Period rooms in the historic Villa Metzler from late Baroque to Art Nouveau
• Collection presentation “Elementarteile” featuring the Frankfurt Kitchen
• Period room dedicated to Dieter Rams
• East Asian and Islamic art as well as book art

Permanent exhibitions

• Elementarteile. Aus den Sammlungen – Around 180 objects from all collection areas, arranged by form, color, and material rather than by period; featuring the Frankfurt Kitchen.
• Stilräume. Aus den Sammlungen – Furnished rooms in the Villa Metzler with furniture and interiors from late Baroque to Art Nouveau.
• Dieter Rams. Ein Stilraum – Living space with designs by industrial designer Dieter Rams.

Founded

1879

Operated by

Stadt Frankfurt am Main

Director

Matthias Wagner K

Admission & discounts

Free admission: SaTOURday: free admission for everyone on the last Saturday of every month (in August, the second-to-last Saturday)

Refugees and holders of the Frankfurt-Pass or Kulturpass pay €1. Free for holders of the MuseumsuferCard/Ticket, members of the friends’ association, Ehrenamts-Card, Juleica, ICOM, and visitors from partner cities, among others.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: not available
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: not available
• Sign language tours: not available
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

Certified by “Reisen für Alle” (April 2026 to March 2029), partially accessible: all exhibition areas are step-free or reachable by ramp or elevator except the third floor of the Villa Metzler; doorways at least 80 cm wide, seating available. Wheelchair-accessible restroom in the basement. No dedicated parking. No induction loop, no Braille or tactile information. Tours for people with walking, visual, and hearing impairments (not for deaf visitors) and with cognitive impairments by advance booking; accompanying booklets and workshops in Easy Language (Leichte Sprache), tours for people with dementia.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Kids’ birthday parties

Free family workshops as part of “SaTOURday” (for children aged 7 and up); children’s birthday parties with workshops for children aged 5 and up, tailored to age groups. Children and teens under 18 get free admission.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant
• Coat check
• Lockers

Restaurant Emma Metzler. Lockers in the basement (€1 coin). Reference library by appointment.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 250 guests.

Foyer (60–250 people), collection presentation “Elementarteile” on the second floor (30–100), and cinema/lecture hall in the basement (30–120), also outside opening hours; catering via Restaurant Emma Metzler. Rooms in the historic Villa Metzler are rented out through the Kunstgewerbeverein.

Plan your visit