Kunstmuseum Mülheim an der Ruhr

The Kunstmuseum Mülheim an der Ruhr stands in the city centre, in a former imperial post office built in the late 19th century. The building now houses one of the Ruhr’s oldest art collections, founded in 1909 by local patron Robert Rheinen. His first donation included 1,385 objects—paintings, textiles, ceramics and books—shown at first in his own home before moving to a villa near the Ruhr. The museum’s significance comes from its carefully rebuilt collection after wartime losses. In 1937 the Nazis removed thirty works labelled ‘degenerate’, including pieces by Beckmann, Feininger and Nolde. After 1945 the collection was rebuilt through purchases and later major gifts, notably the Ziegler collection of Classical Modernism in 1981 and a Heinrich Zille graphic archive in 1985. Today it holds key works by Kandinsky, Klee, Ernst and many women artists such as Hannah Höch and Annegret Soltau. Inside, three galleries display paintings, prints and sculptures from Expressionism to Pop Art. The graphic holdings include Beckmann’s ‘Die Hölle’, Chagall’s ‘Daphnis und Chloé’ and Warhol’s ‘Flash – November 22, 1963’. Outside, the forecourt features a colourful relief by Otto Herbert Hajek. Changing exhibitions focus on modern and contemporary art, often linking works to the building’s history.