History

George Minne, La fontaine aux agenouillés, 1905 - 1906 — George Minne
La fontaine aux agenouillés, 1905 – 1906
Marmor
Museum Folkwang, Essen

© Museum Folkwang

1902

Karl Ernst Osthaus founded the museum in 1902.
That is, about 120 years ago.
At first, the museum was in Hagen.
That is near Essen.

Karl Ernst Osthaus studied at that time.
Art history at the university.

Karl Ernst Osthaus inherited money.
Karl Ernst Osthaus used the money to buy works of art:

Modern art by famous painters from France.
Arts and crafts from all over the world.

Goldschmidt-Villen und Körnerbau
Archiv Museum Folkwang

© Museum Folkwang

1922

10 years later the museum moved.
From Hagen to Essen.
The first director of the museum was Ernst Gosebruch.

1933 – 1945

Only one party ruled in Germany.
The National Socialists.

It was a terrible time for Germany.
Other parties were banned.
People were not allowed to speak their minds.
People were persecuted and killed.

The Folkwang Museum was not spared either.
By the National Socialists.
The Nazis had their own idea
of what art should be.
The Nazis rejected modern art in particular.

That's why the Nazis took 1400 works of art
from the museum.
That was in 1936.
The museum was able to buy back some works of art.
After the end of the Second World War.

1947

There is a decision:
The museum will be rebuilt.

The decision is made by the board of trustees.
The word is spoken like this:
Board-of-trus-tees.

The board of trustees is a group of people.
The people in the group
have supervision over a thing.

The people on the board of trustees of the Museum Folkwang
decide:
What is the future of the museum?

1954

There is a plan.
The plan is for a new house
for the museum.
The plan is by architects.

Architect is a difficult word.
It's pronounced like this: Ar-chi-tect.

Architects are experts
for building.
For example, for building houses.

A new house is also called:
New construction.

The architects
•   Werner Kreutzberger
•   Erich Hösterey
and
•   Horst Loy
are planning the new building
for the museum.

1960

Opening of the new museum building.

Mark Rothko, Untitled (White, Pink and Mustard), 1954 — Mark Rothko
Untitled (White, Pink and Mustard), 1954
Museum Folkwang, Essen

© VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn

1963

The museum gets a new director.
The name of the new director is:
Paul Vogt.
Paul Vogt lived from 1926 to 2017.

Paul Vogt sees to it:
The collection of paintings continues.

The museum will buy pictures over the next decades.
The paintings are very important.

The paintings are by certain artists.
The artists come from a country.
The name of the country is:
United States of America.

The names of the artists are
for example:
•   Barnett Newman
•   Mark Rothko
•   Jackson Pollock
•   Ad Reinhardt
•   Frank Stella.

1968

Gerry Schum has set up a video studio.

A video studio is a certain place.
In that particular place you make films.

The video studio begins its work.
The video studio exists until 1994.

1974

There is a new museum.
The name of the museum is:
The German Poster Museum.

Posters are large sheets of paper.
On the sheets of paper you see
• pictures
and
• words
together.

Posters are used for advertising.
For politics, for example.
Or for events.

Otto Steinert, Ein-Fuß-Gänger, 1950 — Otto Steinert
Ein-Fuß-Gänger, 1950

© Nachlass Otto Steinert, Museum Folkwang, Essen

1978

The city of Essen decides:
There is to be a museum centre.

The museum centre is to
• the old house of the museum
and
• a new building
together.

The planning of the new building
is being done by the architects
• Kiemle, Kreidt and Partner
and
• Allerkamp, Niehaus, Skonia.

There is a collection of photos.
The collection of photos is by Otto Steinert.

The collection is for a specific school.
The name of the school is:
Folkwang School of Design.

The photo collection now also belongs
to the Museum Folkwang.

There is a new collection of photos.
The head for the new collection is:
Ute Eskildsen.

1983

The Museum Centre is opened.
The Museum Centre includes
• the Museum Folkwang
• the Ruhrland Museum.

1988

The museum gets a new director.
The name of the new director is:
Georg W. Költzsch.

Georg W. Költzsch lived from 1938 to 2005.

2002

The museum gets a new director.
The name of the new director is:
Hubertus Gassner.

2006

The museum gets a new director.
The name of the new director is:
Hartwig Fischer.

There is a foundation.
The name of the foundation is:
The Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation.

A foundation is an institution.
The institution has money.
The money is for a specific matter.

The Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation decides:
There is money.
The money is for a new building.
The new building is for the Museum Folkwang.

2007

There is a competition.
The competition is for ideas.

The ideas are for the new building
for the Museum Folkwang.

Architects are taking part in the competition.
The architects are from different countries.

The winner of the competition is:
David Chipperfield.

Work begins on the new building.

2008

The German Poster Museum
becomes part of the Museum Folkwang.

2010

There is an opening on 28 January.
The opening is
of the new building of the Museum Folkwang.

2013

The museum gets a new director.
The name of the new director is:
Tobia Bezzola.

2015

The Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation.
supports the museum:
Visitors no longer have to pay money.
If visitors want to go into the collection.

2018

The museum gets a new director.
The name of the new director is:
Peter Gorschlüter.

2020

The city of Essen and
the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation decide:
Visitors do not have to pay money.
If visitors want to go to the collection.
The decision is for good.

The Museum Folkwang gets an award.
An award is a prize.
The prize is for something particularly good.
The prize comes from a group of experts.
The experts are art critics.
Art critics
• describe art
• evaluate art.
There is an association of art critics.
The name of the association is:
International Association of Art Critics AICA.

German art critics from the association
have decided:
The work of the Museum Folkwang is very good.
The Museum Folkwang gets the prize:
Best Museum in 2019.

2022

The Museum Folkwang celebrates a big party:
The Museum Folkwang has existed in Essen for 100 years.