The Museum für Moderne Kunst (Museum of Modern Art), or short MMK, in Frankfurt, was founded in 1981 and opened to the public 6 June 1991. The museum was designed by the Viennese architect Hans Hollein. It is part of Frankfurt's Museumsufer (Museum Riverbank). Because of its triangular shape, the MMK is popularly called the ("piece of cake"). Since 2018, has been director of the MMK.
History The newest of Frankfurt's museums was founded in 1981. The idea to set up a museum for modern art in Frankfurt came from Peter Iden, an influential theatre and art critic at the Frankfurter Rundschau and founding director of the museum (1978–1987). With the Mayor Walter Wallmann (CDU) and the Head of the Cultural department Hilmar Hoffmann (SPD) Iden found political advocates for his project. In 1989, the Swiss art historian and curator Jean-Christophe AmmannLauter, Rolf (ed.): Für Jean-Christophe Ammann, Festschrift zum 60. Geburtstag, Societätsverlag, Frankfurt, 2001. moved from the Kunsthalle Basel to Frankfurt am Main and opened the new Museum für Moderne Kunst (MMK) Frankfurt am Main there on 6 June 1991. With a new exhibition model, the Change of Scene, which took place a total of 20 times with the help of private sponsors (Change of Scene I, 1992 until Change of Scene XX, 2001–02), the new museum gained international renown. At the change of scene exhibitions, the inventory of the museum was rearranged every six months and enriched with new additions, loans and special exhibitions.Andreas Bee: Zehn Jahre Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am Main. DuMont, Köln 2003, .
In 1983, Hollein won the competition for the Museum für Moderne Kunst; three years earlier, his proposal for the city's Museum für angewandte Kunst had finished a close second behind Richard Meier's prize-winning design. The ground-breaking was delayed until 1987, and the new museum was eventually built at a cost of about $38 million.David Galloway (6 July 1991), Museum à la Mode in Frankfurt International Herald Tribune. It opened in 1991.
The MMK Zollamt is a satellite exhibition site that since 1999 has belonged to the MMK and is located in a building directly opposite the museum that once was home to the City of Frankfurt's Main Customs Office. The building has been completely modernised and artistic positions by younger artists or "unknowns" have been presented here regularly since 2007 with the support of Jürgen Ponto-Stiftung.
Architecture Hollein molded a building to the three-sided space, so that the large rooms at the narrow end are wedge-shaped, producing of exhibition space. The height of the three-storey building is adapted to the surroundings and is characterised by the "triangular shape" and facade design. The building houses three main levels for exhibitions and an administration area on the mezzanine, which is located above the entrance area and the cafeteria. The MMK library and archive are also located in this area. The entire area of the museum has a basement. There are workshops, depots and a lecture hall.Hollein, Hans; Iden, Peter; Lauter, Rolf (1985). Gestaltungsprinzipien der Museumsarchitektur, in: Bilder für Frankfurt,. München: Prestel. pp. 7–9. .
Collection The core of the museum is the legacy of German collector Karl Ströher with 87 works of Pop art and Minimalism. The manufacturer Ströher had originally bequeathed to his native city of Darmstadt on condition that a museum be built to house them. When funds for the project were not approved, Ströher's heirs sold the choice ensemble to Frankfurt and donated the painting "Yellow and Green Brushstrokes" by Roy Lichtenstein to the museum as a gift. Major artists since the 1950s from the Ströher Collection displayed, including Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Carl Andre, John Chamberlain, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, Roy Lichtenstein, Walter de Maria, Robert Morris, Claes Oldenburg, James Rosenquist, Frank Stella, Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselman and George Segal, with his Jazz Combo. Between 1981 and 1987, the museum's co-founder Peter Iden expanded the collection by adding works from the seventies and eighties.Iden, Peter; Lauter, Rolf: Dalla pop art americana alla nuova figurazione: opere del Museo d'arte moderna di Francoforte, Padiglione d'arte contemporanea, Milan, 1987. Later parts of the collection have been amassed by the museum's first director,Rolf Lauter (ed.): Für Jean-Christophe Ammann, Festschrift zum 60. Geburtstag, Societätsverlag, Frankfurt am Main, 2001. Jean-Christophe Ammann.Michael Kimmelman (18 August 1991), Avoiding the Clean-White-Box Syndrome New York Times. In 2006 the Museum für Moderne Kunst, along with the Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein and the Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, acquired the private collection of Cologne art dealer Rolf Ricke, comprising works by Richard Artschwager, Bill Bollinger, Donald Judd, Gary Kuehn, und Steven Parrino. Today, the permanent collection includes over 4,500 works of international art, ranging from the 1960s to the present.Online Collection of the Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt/Main
Locations Museum, Domstraße 10 (MUSEUM MMK FÜR MODERNE KUNST) Taunusturm, Taunustor 1 (TOWERMMK) Zollamt, Domstraße 3 (ZOLLAMTMMK)
Exhibitions
1985: Bilder für Frankfurt. Sammlung Museum für Moderne Kunst im Deutschen Architekturmuseum, Frankfurt 1987: Dalla Pop Art Americana alla nuova figurazione. Museum für Moderne Kunst / Padiglione d'arte contemporanea, Milano 1991: Opening Exhibition Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt, 6 June 1991 1991: Carl Andre: Extraneous Roots 1994: Das Museum für Moderne Kunst und die Sammlung Ströher 1997: Views from Abroad: European Perspectives on American Art 1997: Thomas Bayrle: TassenTassen 1967–1997 1997: Alex Katz: Smiles 1998: Alighiero Boetti: Die Welt zur Welt bringen / Mettere al Mondo il Mondo 1999: Bill Viola: A 25 Year Survey Exhibition – Werke aus 25 Jahren 1999: Dan Flavin: Two Primary Series and one Secondary, Projektraum MMK im Alten Hauptzollamt 2000: Eric Fischl: Works from the 1980s & Travel of Romance 2000: Screenings 01 – 10: Filme, Videos und Videoinstallationen, Projektraum MMK im Alten Hauptzollamt 2001: Lucian Freud: Naked Portraits 2001: Jeff Wall: Figures and Places 2002: Hans Peter Feldmann: Kinderzimmer 2002: Das Museum, die Sammlung, der Direktor und seine Liebschaften 2002: Martin Boyce: Dornbracht Installation Projects 2003: Das lebendige Museum 2003: Rosemarie Trockel: Das Kinderzimmer 2004: Teresa Margolles: Muerte sin fin 2004: Elaine Sturtevant: The Brutal Truth 2005: Whats New, Pussycat? 2005: Spinnwebzeit: Die ebay-Vernetzung 2006: Barbara Klemm: 14 Tage China im Jahre 1985 2006: Thomas Bayrle: 40 Years Chinese Rock'n'Roll 2006: Thomas Demand: Klause 2006: Humanism in China. Ein fotografisches Porträt 2006: Serge Spitzer und Ai Weiwei: Territorial 2006: Andreas Slominski: Roter Sand und ein gefundenes Glück 2007: Maurizio Cattelan 2007: Das Kapital. Blue Chips & Masterpieces 2007: Verwendungsnachweis. Stipendiaten der Jürgen Ponto-Stiftung 2003 – 2006 2007: Taryn Simon: An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar 2007: Frank Moritz: Menschenbild II 2008: Hans Josephsohn: Bildhauer 2008: Miroslav Tichý: Fotograf 2008: Bernard Buffet: Maler 2008: Takashi Murakami 2009: Bogomir Ecker, Mark Wallinger und ein Unbekannter Meister: Angel Dust 2009: Yellow and Green. Positionen aus der Sammlung des MMK 2009: Double Reiner Ruthenbeck: Umgekippte Möbel, 1971 2009: Sarah Morris: Gemini Dressage 2009: Gerhard Richter: 2 Seestücke, 1975 2009: Jack Goldstein 2009: Double Sol LeWitt: Wall Drawing #261, 1975 2009: Peter Roehr: Werke aus Frankfurter Sammlungen 2009: Double Isa Genzken: 3 Vollellipsoide Skulpturen, 1978 2010: Radical Conceptual. Positionen aus der Sammlung des MMK 2010: Funktionen der Zeichnung. Konzeptuelle Kunst auf Papier aus der Sammlung des MMK 2010: Double Wolfgang Laib: Blütenstaub von Haselnuß 2010: Florian Hecker: Event, Stream, Objekt 2010: Double Andreas Slominski: Fallen – Hochsprunganlage – Berg Sportgeräte, 1988 2010: Double Anri Sala: "Title Suspended", 2008 2010: Not in Fashion. Mode und Fotografie der 90er Jahre 2010: The Lucid Evidence. Fotografie aus der Sammlung des MMK 2011: New Frankfurt Internationals: Stories and Stages 2011: Félix González-Torres: Specific Objects without Specific Form 2011: MMK 1991–2011. 20 Jahre Gegenwart im MMK, MMK Zollamt und MainTor-Areal 2011: Douglas Gordon 2012: Andy Warhol: Headlines 2012: MAKING HISTORY. Im Rahmen von RAY – Fotografieprojekte Frankfurt Rhein/Main 2012: Fotografie Total. Werke aus der Sammlung des MMK 2012: Thomas Scheibitz: One-Time Pad 2012: Alex Monteith: Exercise Blackbird 2013: Carsten Nicolai: Unidisplay. Uni(psycho)acoustic 2013: Rineke Dijkstra: The Krazy House 2013: Danica Dakić: Safe Frame 2013: Franz West: Wo ist mein Achter? 2013/2014: Hélio Oiticica: Das große Labyrinth 2014: Die Göttliche Komödie: Himmel, Hölle, Fegefeuer aus Sicht afrikanischer Gegenwartskünstler 2014/2015: Subodh Gupta: Everything is Inside 2014/2015: Sturtevant. Drawing Double Reversal 2015: Gerald Domenig: Ausstellungsvorbereitung 2015: Isa Genzken: New Works 2015: Imagine Reality. RAY 2015 Fotografieprojekte Frankfurt RheinMain 2015: William Forsythe: The Fact of Matter 2016: Kader Attia: Sacrifice and Harmony 2016–17: Mathieu Kleyebe Abonnenc: Mefloquine Dreams 2016–17: Fiona Tan: Geografie der Zeit 2016–17: 25 Jahre MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst – Neue Sammlungspräsentation 2017: Ed Atkins: Corpsing 2017: Claudia Andujar: Morgen darf nicht gestern sein 2017: Carolee Schneemann: Kinetische Malerei 2017–18: A Tale of Two Worlds. Experimentelle Kunst Lateinamerikas der 1940er- bis 80er-Jahre im Dialog mit der Sammlung des MMK 2018–19: Cady Noland 2019: Marianna Simnett 2019–20: Museum 2020: Frank Walter 2020: Marcel Duchamp 2022: Stéphane Mandelbaum 2022–23: Rosemarie Trockel 2023: Cameron Rowland 2023–24: Elizabeth Catlett 2023–24: Helena Uambembe 2024: "There is no there there" 2026: Fritz Scholder
The museum and its director, Susanne Gaensheimer, were commissioned to curate the German Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2011 and 2013.Alexander Forbes (8 May 2012), ARTINFO.
Gallery
References
Bibliography Iden, Peter; Lauter, Rolf: Bilder für Frankfurt: Bestandskatalog des Museums für Moderne Kunst, München, Prestel 1985,
Publikationsliste des MMK, July 2004 edition (PDF-Version, 60 KB) Kiefer, Theresia: Architektur und Konzeption eines zeitgenössischen Museums am Beispiels des Museums für moderne Kunst in Frankfurt am Main. 1995 Bee, Andreas: Zusammengedrängt zwischen zwei Buchdeckeln. In: Zehn Jahre Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am Main. Köln 2003 Hollein, Hans: Ausstellen, Aufstellen, Abstellen Überlegungen zur Aufgabe des Museums für Moderne Kunst. In: Museum für Moderne Kunst. Schriftreihe des Hochbauamtes zu Bauaufgaben der Stadt Frankfurt am Main. Der Magistrat der Stadt Frankfurt am Main. Frankfurt 1991. . Ammann, Jean-Christophe; Christmut Präger: Museum für Moderne Kunst und Sammlung Ströher. Frankfurt 1992 Lauter, Rolf (ed.): Das Museum für Moderne Kunst und die Sammlung Ströher. Zur Geschichte einer Privatsammlung, Ausstellungskatalog (5. Dezember 1994 bis 8. Januar 1995), Frankfurt am Main, 1994. .
Hans Hollein, Gestaltungsprinzipien der Museumsarchitektur. In: Iden, Peter; Lauter, Rolf (Ed.), Bilder für Frankfurt, Bestandskatalog des Museums für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt. München 1985. Schoeler, Andreas von: Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am Main. Ernst & Sohn, 1991
External links