I have been living and working in Cologne the past three months. During that time I walked around to discover the city, but the place I fell in love with first became my favourite spot of all. Therefore I recommend to every Cologne-visitor who loves modern and contemporary art: The Museum Ludwig is a must-see! The Museum Ludwig is located directly next to the Dome in a cool building (very modern and chic; and flooded with light). On roughly 8000 sq. metres of exhibition space it offers the 20th century and contemporary art an adequate stage. It was inaugurated in 1986. The collection is older, though. The museum was founded in 1976, when Peter and Irene Ludwig donated about 350 works of art to the city of Cologne. Their collection included numerous paintings of the Russian Avant-garde, hundreds of works by Pablo Picasso and the largest collection of Pop Art outside the USA . Furthermore you find Expressionists and German Art from the 1970s and 80s as well as international trends and installations by the younger avant-garde. Come in and see works by Warhol, Dali, Malewitsch, Gilbert George, Mondrian, Calder, and especially of interest for us lomographers the extensive collection of photography. Today the museum owns about 10.000 photographs, from the Russian Avantgarde to contemporary works (Jeff Wall, Andreas Gursky, James Coleman, Christopher Williams etc.). There’s only one catch: It’s not allowed to take pictures inside the building due to judicial restrictions. Therefore my advice is: Enjoy the fantastic works of art inside, take your time, wander through the rooms, maybe take a guided tour (there are several free tours during the week!) and take pictures of the stunning building outside afterwards. Integrated in the building are also the Philharmonie, an Art Library and a movie theatre. The Museum Ludwig is open Tue – So from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. They have special prices for students.

The collection of the Museum Ludwig comprises the most important stages and positions in the development of 20th century art and contemporary art.
Roy Lichtenstein's "Maybe", Andy Warhol's "Brillo Boxes" and George Segal's "Restaurant Window", all icons of American Pop Art, had just been completed when in 1969 they were included as loans in the collection of the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum. The works came from Peter and Irene Ludwig who have built up the biggest collection of Pop Art outside the USA.

The museum has some really great pieces and an overall brilliant collection. There isn't a real clear route to follow, which means there are lots of spaces to discover.Maybe I was a bit museumsick at the time I passed there but I thought it was even a bit too much. Still a must if you're into modern art.

prachtig gebouw om te beginnen