ART IN COLOGNE
3 days/2 overnight stays
Cologne has been the German art ( trading ) metropolis and a world-renowned city of art since the sixties. Artists such as Gerhard Richter, Juergen Klauke, Rune Mields or H. A. Schult, Bernhard Schultze and the banana sprayer Thomas Baumgaertl live here. More than 100 galleries present the entire spectrum of global art and global art trade. Add to these three large fairs which regularly bring the world of art into the exhibition halls, one of which is the Art Cologne, the mother of all art fairs. All this is rounded off for art lovers by such excellent museums as the Wallraf-Richartz Museum and the Museum Ludwig, only to name the two most important. What is more is that there are also numerous private collections, for instance in the Diocesan Museum, the Kaethe Kollwitz Museum or the Art Station Saint Peter. Discover living art in the charming cosmopolitan cathedral city!
Proposed Itinerary : Day 1 Modern Cologne Come to Cologne where so much bears witness to its Roman past and the Middle Ages, admire its Romanesque churches and the world-famous cathedral. During the afternoon take a city tour to discover modern Cologne : After World War II, the widely destroyed city was given a new image through the work of renowned architects. A selection of buildings in the town centre will show you the tension span between the old and the new. With Ma a lot ( Steps ) the artist Dani Karavan gave Cologne a uniquely designed square with deep symbolic meaning. The Ludwig museum building as well as the new building, which now houses the Wallraf-Richartz museum, is also on the program. Complete your tour by visiting Cologne s first Sculpture Park where contemporary sculptors exhibit their work.
Day 2 Wallraf-Richartz Museum and an atelier The Wallraf-Richartz Museum - Fondation Corboud contains one of the largest collections of classical paintings in Germany. The main fields are in the Medieval Art Department with Cologne panel paintings from 1300 to 1550, the Baroque Art Department which stands out with leading works by Rubens and Rembrandt, and the 19th Century Depart-ment which not only has works from the Romantic, Realism and Impressionist periods with paintings from Van Gogh, Seurat, Matisse, Renoir, Gauguin and Cezanne but also has sculptures on display. An art historian will take you around and explain the most important works. Your excursion into the Cologne artists scene starts off with a light lunch in a trendy restaurant. You then pay an artist a visit in his atelier. How did the artist come to take up art? What influence does the cathedral city have on his work? Over a glass of sparkling wine you can talk to the artist and experience the process of artistic creation.
Day 3 Contemporary art in the Ludwig Museum Roy Lichtenstein s Maybe, Andy Warhol s Brillo Boxes or George Segal s Restaurant Window, icons of American Pop Art, are on today s program. If you wish we can make alterations to the program.