Magdeburg Art Museum: 50 years in the sign of international art

Magdeburg Art Museum: 50 years in the sign of international art

Magdeburg, Deutschland - In 2025, the Magdeburg Art Museum celebrates its 50th anniversary. An exciting journey that began in June 1975 with the decision to expand the monastery building for art collections and started the first art exhibitions in the same year. With the addition of the "National Plastic of the GDR" collection in 1976, the museum quickly gained importance. Until the early 1990s, GDR sculptures in particular shaped the museum's face. After the peaceful revolution in 1989, the house then opened for international art and expanded its perspective.

Today, the Magdeburg Art Museum is known for its collection of contemporary art, which has included various media such as painting, photography and video since 2002. The aim is to explain different art forms in their contexts, whereby special attention is paid to significant individual works. These should convey the entirety of an artistic direction. The artists represented include internationally established names such as Enrico Castellani, Jenny Holzer and Jannis Kounellis. An overview of the collections can be found on the website of the Magdeburg Art Museum.

Expansion of the exhibition areas and international recognition

With the expansion measures in 2010 and 2022, new opportunities for the presentation of contemporary art were created. These developments have made the Magdeburg Art Museum an internationally recognized center for contemporary art. The Connexion of art and visitors is promoted by the varied diversity in the exhibitions, which ensures the museum a place in the global art scene.

Another interesting point in the current art scene is the exhibition "Revolutionary Romances", which can be seen in the Albertine of the State Art Collections Dresden (SKD). This show addresses the "friendly-revolutionary" relationships between the GDR and countries of the global south and thus reflects an important part of the story. The cooperation with the TU Dresden, especially with Professor Kerstin Sucherweiler, brings exciting insights into the international-artistic relationships of the GDR and its effects on art production. The exhibition not only presents works of East German and international artists: inside, but also video interviews with contemporary witness: inside that make the connections alive.

look into history

As part of the research project "Art in Networks - The GDR and Its Global Relations", international relationships were dealt with, with artists such as Abed Abdi and Sigrid Noack interviewed. It is particularly exciting that the results flow into an exhibition catalog, which, in addition to the interviews, also contains a common essay by scientists: inside. The interactive research platform also offers even deeper insights into the topic.

The exhibition "Revolutionary Romances" runs until June 2, 2024 and can be experienced as part of the final conference on May 30 and 31, 2024 under the title "Travel (UN) Freedom - Mobility of Artists: Inside During the Cold War". This event is organized in cooperation between SKD and TU Dresden and is part of the follow -up project "Affective Archives - Journey Abroad of Artists: Inside at the time of the GDR", funded by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation.

not only the anniversary celebrations of the Magdeburg Art Museum, but also the varied art scene in the state art collections in Dresden to discover the diverse facets of contemporary art and to research the connections between the past and the present. A good time to immerse yourself in the world of art!

For further information on the developments in the Magdeburg Art Museum and its current exhibitions, simply look at the website of the Magdeburg Art Museum or find out about the [activities of the TU Dresden] (https://tu-dresden.de/gsw/ikm/das-institut/news/die-kunstszenszene-der-und-ihre-revolutionaeren-tud-tud-in-sten-kunstskunstskunst-dres- zu-sehen-zahr