Museum of Concrete Art

About

Museum of Concrete Art (German: Museum für Konkrete Kunst) in Ingolstadt, is a German museum that presents the diversity of concrete art since its inception, with permanent and temporary exhibitions in a space of approximately 800 square metres (8,600 sq ft). The museum includes art collected by Eugen Gomringer and works from the 20th and 21st centuries Stiftung für Kunst und Design (Foundation for art and design). It also has long-term loans from the Maximilian and Agathe Weishaupt collection. The museum opened in 1992 at the Tränktorstraße in Ingolstadt. A new building in Quartier G of the city is under construction and is expected to open in 2027.

The museum opened in 1992 in its current location, a historic 18th-century barracks building at the Tränktorstraße in Ingolstadt. The architectural design by the Munich-based architects Claus and Forster was awarded the BDA Prize for Bavaria in 1993.

Concrete art does not refer to the building material but is an art movement. The term was first used in the 1930s by the Dutch artist Theo van Doesburg, who wrote a manifesto about what art in his opinion should convey: "The artwork must have been fully conceived and developed in the mind before its execution. It must not contain forms dictated by nature, sensuality, or emotion. Lyricism, drama, symbolism, etc., are to be avoided. The painting must be constructed exclusively from purely pictorial elements, i.e., from planes and colors. A pictorial element means nothing other than itself ; consequently, the painting also means nothing other than itself. " On the internet site of the museum it states: "There is hardly any modern art movement that continues to generate so many misunderstandings, myths, and fears to this day. Yet Concrete Art is an immediate art movement designed to engage the senses, one that can be understood even without any prior knowledge—but necessarily also without prejudice. It is a non-representational art form in painting, sculpture, film, or installations that does not seek to depict the visible world. Consequently, colors, shapes, lines, and – by extension – materials take on special significance. [...] The Museum of Concrete Art stands for the idea of the Concrete art movement and not for a static, one-dimensional interpretation of Concrete Art, which has always been subject to change anyway."

The museum also focuses on selected aspects of design, which are often closely linked to concrete art and their creators. It also includes the Stiftung für Konkrete Kunst und Design (Foundation for Concrete Art and Design), which was established in 2007 by Ludwig Wilding, the City of Ingolstadt, and Ingeborg König, the widow of Ludwig Wilding. The foundation is supported by Audi ArtExperience, a cultural sponsorship program of the company Audi. The foundation's goal is to preserve the estates of significant artists of concrete art and make them accessible to the public. The chairperson of the foundation always is the current museum director; as of 2021 [update], this has been Theres Rohde.

The foundation of the collection was laid by the acquisition of the private art collection of Eugen Gomringer in 1981. Gomringer was one of the leading figures of so-called concrete poetry. The acquisition was made possible by support from industry and artisan businesses, as well as numerous donations from the citizens of Ingolstadt.

Collection of the Stiftung für Kunst und Design

The Stiftung für Kunst und Design (Foundation for art and design) focuses on works from the 20th and 21st centuries. Since its founding in 2007, the collection has been continuously expanded. By 2022, the foundation’s collection already comprised 20 artists’ estates, with the artworks alone valued at 5.6 million euros. The foundation not only manages the estates and maintains contact with heirs, artists, and designers, but also ensures the necessary restoration of the artworks when required: "Providing the thousands of items in the collection with the necessary conservation treatments and climate-controlled storage conditions remains the foundation’s greatest challenge. Rising material and personnel costs make it difficult to implement these often urgent measures."

Long-term loans from the Maximilian and Agathe Weishaupt collection

In 2004, parts of the Sammlung Maximilian und Agathe Weishaupt [ de ] were exhibited for the first time at the Museum of Concrete Art. Since 2009, there has been an agreement between the Sammlung für Konkrete Kunst und Design, the museum, and the Stiftung für Konkrete Kunst und Design, under which targeted acquisitions are made for the newly planned Museum of Concrete Art and Design. Agathe Weishaupt herself commented "Part of our philosophy as collectors has always been to make these works known to the public and to display them in exhibitions. After all, art does not thrive in storage; it needs people to see it and appreciate it. I am therefore all the more delighted that our collection has had a second home at the MKK in Ingolstadt since 2004."

The sculpture garden includes works by Ben Muthofer [ de ], Marcello Morandini, David Rabinowitsch and Ulrich Rückriem.

Since 2000, the museum has also been building its own design collection, which explores the connections between concrete art on the one hand and modern product design on the other. The Bauhaus, the Hochschule für Gestaltung Ulm as well as the Deutsche Werkbund advocated for modern, mass-market, yet aesthetically pleasing products.

Artists such as Max Bill and Anton Stankowski worked at the intersection of art and design. To reflect the close connection between concrete art and design, the museum will adopt the additional title "Museum of Concrete Art and Design" upon its reopening.

In 2014 and 2015, the museum received a substantial design collection as a donation from Wilfried and Inge Funke. It comprises approximately 850 items dating from around 1920 to 1970 and includes porcelain, household utensils and ceramics from well-known manufacturers. Simone Schimpf, who was the museum’s director at the time said: "It is a great and unexpected stroke of luck for the Museum of Concrete Art to have acquired the Funke Collection, a carefully curated collection assembled over more than forty years. No museum today could purchase objects of such quality or such a precise selection."

The foundation of the collection was laid by the acquisition of the private art collection of Eugen Gomringer in 1981. Gomringer was one of the leading figures of so-called concrete poetry. The acquisition was made possible by support from industry and artisan businesses, as well as numerous donations from the citizens of Ingolstadt.

The Stiftung für Kunst und Design (Foundation for art and design) focuses on works from the 20th and 21st centuries. Since its founding in 2007, the collection has been continuously expanded. By 2022, the foundation’s collection already comprised 20 artists’ estates, with the artworks alone valued at 5.6 million euros. The foundation not only manages the estates and maintains contact with heirs, artists, and designers, but also ensures the necessary restoration of the artworks when required: "Providing the thousands of items in the collection with the necessary conservation treatments and climate-controlled storage conditions remains the foundation’s greatest challenge. Rising material and personnel costs make it difficult to implement these often urgent measures."

In 2004, parts of the Sammlung Maximilian und Agathe Weishaupt [ de ] were exhibited for the first time at the Museum of Concrete Art. Since 2009, there has been an agreement between the Sammlung für Konkrete Kunst und Design, the museum, and the Stiftung für Konkrete Kunst und Design, under which targeted acquisitions are made for the newly planned Museum of Concrete Art and Design. Agathe Weishaupt herself commented "Part of our philosophy as collectors has always been to make these works known to the public and to display them in exhibitions. After all, art does not thrive in storage; it needs people to see it and appreciate it. I am therefore all the more delighted that our collection has had a second home at the MKK in Ingolstadt since 2004."

The sculpture garden includes works by Ben Muthofer [ de ], Marcello Morandini, David Rabinowitsch and Ulrich Rückriem.

Since 2000, the museum has also been building its own design collection, which explores the connections between concrete art on the one hand and modern product design on the other. The Bauhaus, the Hochschule für Gestaltung Ulm as well as the Deutsche Werkbund advocated for modern, mass-market, yet aesthetically pleasing products.

Artists such as Max Bill and Anton Stankowski worked at the intersection of art and design. To reflect the close connection between concrete art and design, the museum will adopt the additional title "Museum of Concrete Art and Design" upon its reopening.

In 2014 and 2015, the museum received a substantial design collection as a donation from Wilfried and Inge Funke. It comprises approximately 850 items dating from around 1920 to 1970 and includes porcelain, household utensils and ceramics from well-known manufacturers. Simone Schimpf, who was the museum’s director at the time said: "It is a great and unexpected stroke of luck for the Museum of Concrete Art to have acquired the Funke Collection, a carefully curated collection assembled over more than forty years. No museum today could purchase objects of such quality or such a precise selection."