Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The Kunsthalle goes back to an initiative by the painter Robert Engelhorn, son of one of the co-founders of BASF, who in 1906 proposed a permanent art exhibition for the spa town. The Karlsruhe architect Hermann Billing, together with Wilhelm Vittali, designed a late Art Nouveau building with classical-style ornamentation at the entrance to the Lichtentaler Allee; it opened with its first show in April 1909. The building was initially run by the Freie Künstlervereinigung Baden (Free Artists' Association of Baden), and the state took it over in 1927.

Until the 1930s the Kunsthalle mainly showed artists from Baden. From the late 1950s onward, under a succession of directors, it developed into an internationally recognized venue for contemporary art: in the series "14 mal 14" around 1970, young artists such as Georg Baselitz, Gerhard Richter, and Anselm Kiefer exhibited early in their careers, followed later by shows on Bruce Nauman, Cy Twombly, Donald Judd, and Cindy Sherman, among others.

Uniquely among Baden-Württemberg's state museums, the Kunsthalle has no collection of its own and uses its roughly 670 square meters of exhibition space exclusively for temporary exhibitions. Since 2004 it has been connected to the Museum Frieder Burda by a glass bridge, and the Café Kunsthalle was created in the foyer at that time. Since 2008 it has been a state enterprise under the Ministry of Science; since May 2025 Eckart Köhne and Susanne Schulenburg have shared its leadership, and the institution works closely with the Badisches Landesmuseum.

Highlights

• Art Nouveau building by Hermann Billing (1909) on the Lichtentaler Allee
• Changing exhibitions of international contemporary art
• Glass bridge to the Museum Frieder Burda and combination ticket
• Site-specific works by Dan Flavin and Richard Serra
• Café Kunsthalle in the foyer

Founded

1909

Operated by

Land Baden-Württemberg (Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst)

Director

Prof. Dr. Eckart Köhne (Direktor), Susanne Schulenburg (kaufmännische Direktorin)

Admission & discounts

Free admission for members of the Freunde der Kunsthalle (friends' association), with the Museums-PASS-Musées, for ICOM members, and for members of the Museumsverband Baden-Württemberg and the Deutscher Museumsbund.

Accessibility

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

Wheelchair-accessible entry via the entrance of the Museum Frieder Burda on the Lichtentaler Allee; by car, stop on Friedrichstraße and use the rear entrance (navigation: Friedrichstraße 2b). To reach the exhibition, please ask at the ticket desk or an attendant; accessible restrooms in the Museum Frieder Burda. Some guided tours with German Sign Language (DGS) interpretation as well as audio tours by telephone (Bei Anruf Kultur); app audio tour also available in Plain Language.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Family tours, workshops, and family formats in the event calendar; short "Bring your Baby" tours for parents with babies. The free app offers its own family mission. Children up to age 8 free, family ticket.

Getting there & parking

By car via the A 5 (exit Baden-Baden) and the B 500 toward Lichtental/"Congress." Accessible entrance via the Museum Frieder Burda; if arriving by car, stop on Friedrichstraße (GPS: Friedrichstraße 2b) and use the rear entrance.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Café Kunsthalle in the foyer, Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00 (tel. 07221 392000). Catalogs and editions in the shop, also online.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit