May 9, 2026 – January 3, 2027
Anouk Kruithof – Universal Tongue
Eight-channel video installation by the Dutch artist, who creates a collage of dance styles from around the world out of thousands of dance videos researched online.
Saarlandmuseum – Moderne Galerie
Art museum on the banks of the Saar in Saarbrücken with classical modernism, Art Informel and contemporary art – the main site of the Saarlandmuseum.
Opening hoursAdmission from €10 Wheelchair accessible Café
Current exhibitions
June 20, 2026 – October 18, 2026
Andy Warhol – Ikonen
Screen prints by the Pop Art artist with famous motifs ranging from consumer goods to portraits; the focus is on seriality and Warhol's handling of media images.
August 15, 2026 – May 9, 2027
Sonne, Mond und Sterne – Entdeckungsreise durch Licht und Farbe
Hands-on exhibition for children and adults presenting works from the 18th century to today along the course of a day, from morning to night.
August 15, 2026 – January 3, 2027
Monira Al Qadiri – BENZENE FLOAT
Giant inflatable molecule sculptures in the atrium make petrochemical substances visible and raise questions about their consequences for the environment and the future.
November 7, 2026 – February 14, 2027
Ein Neubeginn für Europa. 75 Jahre subjektive fotografie
Anniversary exhibition on the series of exhibitions around Otto Steinert launched in Saarbrücken in 1951, with more than 150 photographs of the postwar avant-garde.
January 30, 2027 – August 8, 2027
EVA & ADELE – Belles Rebelles
First retrospective of the artist duo since the end of their long-term performance – with photographs, costumes, sculptures and paintings.
July 24, 2027 – October 24, 2027
Max Pechstein – Retrospektive
Announced survey exhibition on the Expressionist Max Pechstein, who is also represented in the museum's collection.
November 20, 2027 – February 27, 2028
Unbändige Offenheit – Vom Suchen und Hoffen
Exhibition announced for winter 2027/28; further details are still pending.
About the museum
The Saarlandmuseum's collection dates back to the 1920s, when a state art museum was established in Saarbrücken. In 1937 it lost important modernist works in the Nazi “Degenerate Art” campaign. Since 1980 the museum has belonged to the Stiftung Saarländischer Kulturbesitz, which also looks after the Alte Sammlung (Old Collection), the Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte (Museum of Prehistory and Early History), the Römische Villa Nennig and the Deutsches Zeitungsmuseum (German Newspaper Museum).
The Moderne Galerie is the main site. Its low pavilion building on the Saar riverbank next to the Staatstheater was built between 1965 and 1978 to designs by Hanns Schönecker, along with a sculpture garden. From 2007, the construction of an extension wing, the so-called Fourth Pavilion, turned into a statewide scandal over spiraling costs, a construction freeze and breach of trust by the museum's management at the time. The Berlin firm Kuehn Malvezzi took over the redesign in 2013; the Fourth Pavilion opened in 2017, followed by the reopening of the entire museum in 2018.
The collection ranges from the late 19th century to the present. Its focal points are German Impressionism and the Berlin Secession, Expressionism – the best-known work being Franz Marc's “Das blaue Pferdchen” (The Little Blue Horse) of 1912 – and Art Informel and postwar abstract art. There is also a graphic arts collection of around 18,000 sheets, a photography collection, and contemporary works shown mainly in the Fourth Pavilion, including painting, installations, video and sound art. Temporary exhibitions regularly take up current social issues.
Highlights
- Franz Marc: “Das blaue Pferdchen” (The Little Blue Horse, 1912)
- Impressionism, Berlin Secession and Expressionism
- Art Informel and postwar abstract art
- Fourth Pavilion by Kuehn Malvezzi for contemporary art
- Graphic arts collection of around 18,000 sheets
- Sculpture garden on the Saar riverbank
Permanent exhibitions
- Sammlung Moderne Galerie – Changing presentation of the museum's own holdings, from Impressionism through Expressionism and Art Informel to contemporary art in the Fourth Pavilion.
- Operated by
- Stiftung Saarländischer Kulturbesitz
- Director
- Lisa Felicitas Mattheis
- Visitors per year
- approx. 43,316 (2025)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €10 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €7Groups of 10 or more paying visitors, holders of the Ehrenamtskarte (volunteer card) and members of certain art and museum associations (including Bundesverband Museumspädagogik, BBK, Saarländischer Künstlerbund, Bund Deutscher Kunsterzieher, Deutscher Verband für Kunstgeschichte) |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 18 · Children and young people up to age 18 and school students get free admission. |
| Seniors | –No senior discount is listed on the prices page. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freePeople with a severe disability (degree of disability 50 or higher) get free admission. |
| Students & apprentices | freeUniversity students, vocational school students and volunteer service participants (BFD, FSJ, FÖJ, FKJ) free. |
| Groups (10+ people) | €7 per personReduced admission for 10 or more paying visitors. Group tour €50 (1 hr) or €75 (1.5 hrs) plus admission; with a curator €80 or €120. |
Free admission: Free admission on Wednesdays from 15:00 and on the first Sunday of every month.
Free admission also applies to, among others, holders of the SaarlandCARD, Saar Pass and SozialCard, recipients of social benefits (Bürgergeld, Grundsicherung, AsylbLG), members of the Gesellschaft zur Förderung des Saarländischen Kulturbesitzes, and members of the Deutscher Museumsbund and ICOM. Show proof at the ticket desk; card payment accepted.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- 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
Certified under “Reisen für Alle” (Travel for All). The museum is wheelchair-accessible, and a loaner wheelchair is available; public accessible parking space on Bismarckstraße directly in front of the museum. Hearing-accessible reception desk with induction loop; public and booked tours with an FM system on request; “Hören mit Herz” quality seal.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 18 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Kids’ birthday parties
Children's birthday parties with a short discovery tour and a creative session in the studio. Workshops "Palette!" (ages 5 and up, 2nd Saturday of the month, 15:00) and "Die Werkstatt" (ages 10 and up, 3rd Saturday, 15:00). Children and young people have free admission.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Landwehrplatz · 400 m
Saarbahn to Landwehrplatz; buses to Sankt Johanner Markt or Staatstheater with regular connections to the main train station.
By car
Parking available
Parking garages at the theater, at Schillerplatz, and at Talstraße 38–42; free accessible parking spaces directly in front of the building on Bismarckstraße.
- Accessible parking
By car via the A 620, exit Wilhelm-Heinrich-Brücke, then follow the signs for Saarlandmuseum.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
- Coat check
- Lockers
Bistro "Kunstherz" in the building; museum shop "Wa(h)re Kunst" (Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00, Wed until 20:00). Bags about A4 size and larger must be left at the coat check or in a locker.
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 |
| Photography | Photography without flash or tripod only in certain cases with a photo permit – ask at the information/ticket desk. |
| Good to know | Public guided tours, including on the free museum Sunday (first Sunday of the month); on Wednesdays 18:00–20:00 open creative studio “drink & draw” (free, no registration). School classes: tour €4, tour with workshop €6 per student. Booking: tel. 0681 9964-234, service@saarlandmuseum.de. |
