REOPENING OF THE
HENTRICH GLASS MUSEUM
One of the largest glass collections in Europe
presents its treasures
From 8.10.2006
museum kunst palast
Ehrenhof 4-5, 40479 Dusseldorf
Fon: 0049-(0)211 8996211
Fax: 0049-(0)211 8929504
marina.schuster [at] museum-kunst-palast.de
The Hentrich Glass Museum is apart from the Victoria & Albert Museum in London one of Europes largest and most comprehensive glass collections.
Its worldwide reputation was initiated by Helmut Hentrich, a renowned Dusseldorf architect who left the legacy of his house and his collections to the City of Dusseldorf with the obligation that it would expand the glass museum.
Following extensive preparations by the museum Otto Steiner in Sarnen/ Switzerland, a specialist firm with a proven record in such tasks, was commissioned with planning the new design. The aim of these plans was to develop a form of presentation which not only demonstrates the importance of the Glass Museum Hentrich as one of the worlds leading special collections straight away, but which also realises new and attractive ways of presenting this for a wide range of visitors.
In terms of content the new concept provides a link between various design approaches. Because the strength of the collection lies in its closeness, the presentation Masterpieces, a timeline from ancient times to the present day, forms one of the main highlights of the collection.
In another area of the exhibition the focus is on the individual visions of the great collectors; this goes especially for the far-reaching collection of Helmut Hentrich and the collection of Gerda Koepff, which focuses on French Art Nouveau.
Both themes are presented in a house of treasures, a building within a building which transects the three exhibition levels. On the ground floor this core is surrounded by a room area dedicated primarily to contemporary glass art and other donations. In addition to this area there is an information lounge with places to sit, a small library and video monitors. A separate room on the ground floor offers the opportunity to see small studio exhibitions of the latest in glass art, the presentation of new acquisitions and the like.
In the basement the area surrounding the house of treasures is used as a studio gallery. Large quantities of glasses are arranged according to their design principles and techniques, imitations and problematic pieces are discussed and new focal points of collections, such as applied glass design of the 20th Century are presented. Interactive information aids ease access for the visitor.
The museum kunst palast Foundation is a public-private partnership between the City of Dusseldorf, E.ON AG, METRO Group and degussa AG.
Opening hours:
Daily, 11 am to 6 pm, closed on Mondays