Sprengel Museum Hannover

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The foundation was laid by Hannover chocolate manufacturer Bernhard Sprengel, who began collecting modern art with his wife Margrit in 1937 – ironically prompted by a visit to the Nazi propaganda show “Degenerate Art”. In 1969, the couple donated their collection to the City of Hannover and also contributed to the construction costs of a new museum. The city and the state of Lower Saxony agreed to share the costs of building and running it, and combined their own 20th-century art holdings from the Landesmuseum and the Kestner-Museum with the donation.

After an architecture competition won by Peter and Ursula Trint with Dieter Quast, the first construction phase opened in 1979 on the north shore of the Maschsee, initially as the Kunstmuseum Hannover mit Sammlung Sprengel. The museum received its current name in 1984. A characteristic feature is the long, lane-like exposed-concrete “museum street” from which the exhibition areas branch off. A second construction phase with a temporary exhibition hall and an auditorium followed in 1992, and in 2015 an extension by the Zurich architects Meili, Peter with the Calder-Saal.

The collection’s focal points include Expressionism and French modernism, the Kurt Schwitters Archive, a reconstruction of Schwitters’ Merzbau and the donation of some 400 works by Niki de Saint Phalle in 2000. The holdings have grown to around 49,000 works and documents. In 2017, the German section of the International Association of Art Critics named the Sprengel Museum Museum of the Year. Since May 2026, it has shown its collection in the newly conceived presentation “Mein lieber Schwan!”.

Highlights

• Reconstruction of Kurt Schwitters’ Merzbau and the Kurt Schwitters Archive
• Donation of some 400 works by Niki de Saint Phalle
• Works by Paul Klee, Max Ernst, Pablo Picasso and Emil Nolde
• Calder-Saal with two mobiles by Alexander Calder
• Light rooms by James Turrell (currently closed for renovation)
• Location right on the Maschsee with a restaurant terrace

Permanent exhibitions

• Mein lieber Schwan! Highlights aus der Sammlung – Newly conceived collection presentation on some 3,000 m² in 20 rooms, placing more than 170 artistic positions of the 20th and 21st centuries in surprising juxtapositions.
• Abenteuer Abstraktion – Collection show in the basement with 19 rooms devoted to abstract art from the early 20th century to today – from painting and sculpture to media art and early films.
• Kunst in Hannover im Nationalsozialismus – Multimedia documentation on the mezzanine level that uses nine biographies to shed light on the situation of art and artists in the Nazi era and on the museum’s own collection history.

Founded

1979

Operated by

Landeshauptstadt Hannover (gemeinsam mit dem Land Niedersachsen)

Director

Dr. Reinhard Spieler

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission for everyone every Friday

Free admission also for members of the Freunde des Sprengel Museum Hannover (friends’ association), ICOM and CIMAM, and with the Hannover Aktivpass or Juleica. Day tickets online or at the ticket desk; annual passes, MuseumsCards and gift vouchers only at the ticket desk.

Accessibility

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

“Barrierefreiheit geprüft” (accessibility verified) certificate from Reisen für Alle (Travel for All), valid March 2024 to February 2027. Main entrance via a ramp (doorbell at the bottom) or outdoor elevator on Rudolf-von-Bennigsen-Ufer; all levels by elevator; three accessible restrooms; two accessible parking spaces on Gneiststraße. Loan wheelchairs and folding stools free of charge. Guide dogs and seizure alert dogs allowed. Explanations for “Abenteuer Abstraktion” also available in German Sign Language (online).

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities
• Kids’ birthday parties

“Sprengel Knirpse” for ages 3 to 5 (Fridays), “Sprengel Atelier” for ages 5 to 12 (Saturdays), “Mit Baby ins Sprengel” (with your baby at the Sprengel), holiday courses for ages 6 to 12 and children’s birthday parties (ages 6–12, 120 min.). A children’s stroller can be borrowed free of charge; two baby changing stations in the basement.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Restaurant bell’ARTE with a conservatory and large terrace facing the Maschsee (Tue–Thu and Sun 11:30–22:00, Fri/Sat until 23:00, closed Mon). Sprengel Shop accessible without an admission ticket. Cloakroom and lockers; larger bags, umbrellas and tripods are not allowed in the exhibitions; no space for luggage.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties: not available
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies: not available

Up to 300 guests.

Auditorium (292 seats, also during opening hours) and Calder-Saal (up to 300 people standing, 180 at banquet tables; only outside opening hours), can be combined; guided tours and exclusive exhibition visits can be booked. Private events are not permitted.

Plan your visit