Photo: Hpschaefer www.reserv-art.de · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen

Art museum in Siegen with the works of the Rubens Prize winners – closed for completion of the extension, reopening in summer 2027.

Temporarily closed Wheelchair accessible Restaurant

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Temporarily closed (expected until 2027). Closed since September 28, 2026, for completion of the extension and for renovation work in the existing building; reopening is announced for summer 2027. The Museumsatelier (workshops, children's program) and the brasserie "Ristorante e Piazza" remain open. Under the title "MGKSiegen ON TOUR", presentations, tours, workshops, and digital formats take place at other locations in Siegen and the region.

About the museum

Plans for an art museum in Siegen existed since the 1980s. Driving forces included the former district director Winfried Schwarz, the Siegen art historian Gundolf Winter, the photographer couple Bernd and Hilla Becher, and above all the patron Barbara Lambrecht-Schadeberg. On May 6, 2001, the museum opened in the former telegraph office at the Unteres Schloss, supplemented by a new building by Josef Paul Kleihues.

The museum is run by a nonprofit limited liability company in which the Peter Paul Rubens-Stiftung, the city, and the University of Siegen, among others, hold shares. Day-to-day operations are largely funded by the foundation's returns. The core of the holdings is the Lambrecht-Schadeberg collection, which as a permanent loan shows exclusively works by the winners of the Rubens Prize of the city of Siegen – including Francis Bacon, Cy Twombly, Lucian Freud, Bridget Riley, and Sigmar Polke. In addition there is the museum's own collection of contemporary art; together the two comprise about 450 works from 1915 to today.

In 25 years the museum showed over 100 exhibitions; in 2011 the German section of the art critics' association AICA named it Museum of the Year. Since the end of 2024 an extension designed by Kleihues + Kleihues has been under construction, with a new storage facility, an event space, and a skylit hall eleven meters high. For its completion the museum closed on September 28, 2026; until reopening in summer 2027 it is present at other locations in the city and region with the program "MGKSiegen ON TOUR".

Highlights

Lambrecht-Schadeberg collection with works by all Rubens Prize winners
Works by Francis Bacon, Cy Twombly, Lucian Freud, and Bridget Riley
Architecture of the former telegraph office and the Kleihues new building
New extension with a skylit hall eleven meters high (from summer 2027)
"Museum of the Year" award 2011 (AICA)

Permanent exhibitions

Sammlung Lambrecht-Schadeberg – Rubenspreisträger*innen der Stadt Siegen – Groups of works by all Rubens Prize winners from Hans Hartung to Miriam Cahn; not on view during the closure until summer 2027.

Founded: 2001
Operated by: Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen gGmbH
Director: Thomas Thiel

Admission & discounts

Admission prices after reopening have not yet been published. Until the closure, admission cost €5.90 (reduced €4.60, families €11); students had free admission. Tickets for "MGKSiegen ON TOUR" events are available in the online ticket shop.

Accessibility

Wheelchair accessible
Elevator
Accessible restroom
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

Information for the existing building before the closure: level, step-free entrance, all exhibition levels reachable by elevator, accessible coat check, lockers and restroom on the first floor; folding stools and a folding wheelchair available to borrow.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

Family tours & workshops
Kids’ birthday parties

The Kinderatelier for ages 6 to 10 takes place every last Saturday of the month from 11:00 to 13:00 (except during school holidays), also during the closure, in the Museumsatelier; material costs €2.50. In addition there are a vacation program and children's birthday parties (90 or 180 minutes) in the studio, register at least 14 days in advance.

Getting there & parking

By public transit

Siegen Hauptbahnhof · 5-min walk

About a 5-minute walk from Siegen Hauptbahnhof via Bahnhofstraße and Kölner Straße (pedestrian zone); about 3 minutes from the long-distance bus stop Koblenzer Straße.

By car

Parking available

Underground parking Unteres Schloss (Obergraben 30) directly at the museum; Parkhaus Altstadt (Löhrtor 13), Parkhaus Rathaus/Markt (Hinterstraße 41), and the KrönchenCenter parking lot (Hinterstraße) are each about a 3-minute walk.

By car via the A 45 (exit Siegen) and the B 62 to Siegen city center, then follow the signs to museums and parking garages.

Get directions

Amenities & dining

Restaurant
Museum shop
Coat check
Lockers

The brasserie "Ristorante e Piazza" in the museum's new building (Italian cuisine, about 90 seats, beer garden with a view of the Unteres Schloss) remains open during the closure: Tue 18:00–23:00, Wed–Sun 12:00–14:30 and 18:00–23:00, open on public holidays. Museum shop with bookstore in the museum.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit

Guided tours	yes · approx. 60 min
School programs	yes
Good to know	During the closure, tours and workshops take place as part of "MGKSiegen ON TOUR" at other locations, in the Museumsatelier, and digitally, such as the "Digitale Kunstpause" via Zoom. Before the closure there were free public tours (Thu 12:30 short tour, Sun 16:00, every first Sunday 15:00 through the collection) as well as bookable tours of about 60 minutes for up to 20 people.