Museum Küppersmühle für Moderne Kunst

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The building in Duisburg's Inner Harbor (Innenhafen) bears witness to the milling industry: a mill was founded here in 1860, the three-winged brick building was erected in 1908, and tall steel silos were added in 1934. The complex was named Küppersmühle after a merger in 1969; operations ceased in 1972, and a citizens' initiative prevented its demolition.

The Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron converted the warehouse into a museum, which opened in 1999. The impetus came from the collector Hans Grothe, whose holdings of German postwar art formed its core. Later, the Darmstadt collector couple Sylvia and Ulrich Ströher took over the collection and expanded it considerably.

The Ströher Collection is considered one of the most comprehensive collections of German art after 1945, focusing on painting by Gerhard Richter, Georg Baselitz, Anselm Kiefer, Sigmar Polke, Jörg Immendorff, and others. In September 2021, an extension also designed by Herzog & de Meuron opened, incorporating the historic silos and increasing the exhibition space to more than 6,000 square meters.

The museum is operated by the Stiftung für Kunst und Kultur e. V., based in Bonn, with support from the Ströher family's MKM-Stiftung. Walter Smerling has directed the museum since its founding; in addition to the collection, it regularly presents major temporary exhibitions of international artists.

Highlights

• Ströher Collection: German painting after 1945 by Richter, Baselitz, Kiefer, Polke, and Immendorff
• Conversion and extension by Herzog & de Meuron (1999 and 2021)
• Observation deck at a height of about 40 meters with views across the Ruhr region
• Located in Duisburg's redeveloped Inner Harbor

Permanent exhibitions

• Sammlung Ströher – German painting and sculpture after 1945 across some 5,000 m², with groups of works by Gerhard Richter, Georg Baselitz, Anselm Kiefer, and other artists.

Founded

1999

Operated by

Stiftung für Kunst und Kultur e. V. (Bonn)

Director

Walter Smerling

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Thursdays for Duisburg residents (with ID card)

The price of €8 (reduced €4) applies to the temporary exhibitions; the entire museum including the Ströher Collection costs €14 (reduced €7). Free admission for press, tour guides, ICOM members, and refugees, among others.

Accessibility

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

All floors reachable by wheelchair-accessible elevators; accessible restrooms on the first and second floors. Free loaner wheelchair at the ticket desk (reservation recommended: +49 203 301948-11), free folding stools. Guide dogs welcome.

Kids & families

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

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Lockers

Küppersmühle Restaurant in the building (tel. +49 203 5188880), more dining options in the Innenhafen. Museum shop and online shop. Free lockers next to the ticket desk; bags larger than DIN A4 are not allowed in the exhibition.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 200 guests.

Exhibition spaces for private celebrations, corporate events, and conferences, including the Kiefer room (194 m², up to 50 people) and the Penck/Lüpertz room (308 m², up to 120 people in rows or 200 standing). Inquiries via the museum office (office@museum-kueppersmuehle.de).

Plan your visit