Museum Folkwang

Tribute to Mies: in 1902, Karl Ernst Osthaus founded Europe’s first museum of contemporary art in Essen. His idea: to reconcile art and life. The new building by David Chipperfield Architects is in the style of Mies van der Rohe. The complex respectfully and calmly complements the listed old building dating back to the later stages of the modern movement. The architectural principle has been retained: inner courtyards, gardens and foyers provide light, orientation and transparency.