Düsseldorf

Elector Jan Wellem of Pfalz founded the reputation of Düsseldorf as a city of art in the 17th century, the town on the Düssel had constantly professed its cultural tradition. That this also constantly pairs up with the boldness of liberal awakening is proven not only by the young art revolutionaries of the 1920s gathered around Mutter Ey. Today as well, Düsseldorf is known around the world as a platform for avant-garde art and is exploring new structural approaches. Like in almost no other city, the Düsseldorf cultural landscape is on the move. Major structural and organisational reforms accompanied the turn of the last century: the once municipal Kunsthalle is now trying its hand as a charitable limited company, the NRW Culture and Business Forum is now under private management, and a foundation is now responsible for Schloss Benrath. And with the Stiftung museum kunst palast, which brings together the former Kunstmuseum and Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf has made the first major cultural public-private partnership in Germany a reality.