In the 1990s, many helped to enrich the heart of an industrial city with a “global player in the world of art equally dedicated to strengthen global exchange and inspire the regional audience” as emphasized by Hans Dieter Pötsch, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Volkswagen Group and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Kunststiftung Volkswagen which operates the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg. “We would like to express our gratitude to all involved in the remarkable work over the course of the past years that exceeded the challenging approach of the founding concept. We are looking forward to further momentous exhibitions and programs.
During three decades, the museum realized several powerful exhibitions including “The Wolfsburg Project” in 2009, James Turrell’s largest-ever installation in a museum until today that came to life thanks to the highly variable rooms at the Kunstmuseum. A recent success of the museum was the receipt of the ART Curator Award, presented to the team for the innovative project “Re-Inventing Piet. Mondrian and the Consequences.” as best exhibition of the year in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Today, the museum holds a collection of more than 1,000 artworks which are being shown regularly in themed exhibitions on-site and as loans in museums around the world.
The museum is of high value for people in the Wolfsburg region. The local audience gets access to world-class art while visitors get the chance to explore a vivid and openminded cultural city.
To improve participation in the world of the arts and culture for the largest possible audience, the Kunstmuseum and Volkswagen are currently joining forces to run three programs:
- Titled “Volkswagen Group Art4All“, the last Wednesday of every month provides museum guests with free access between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. and a wide-ranging complementary program consisting of workshops, guided tours, concerts, performances and public talks with artists
- “Young and Free“: since January 2024, Volkswagen enables the museum to open every day with free access for children and teenagers aged not older than 18 years
- In autumn the team at the Kunstmuseum will be joined by a “Volkswagen Group Fellow” for the first time. The international “Volkswagen Group Fellowship Program” is a Volkswagen initiative to support young academics in the field of art and culture and to strengthen the work of partnering cultural institutions.
Benita von Maltzahn, Director of Cultural Engagement at the Volkswagen Group, underlines the importance of mediation dedicated to the art and culture: “We are committed to help bringing ideas and perspectives developed by artists to the minds of as many people as possible. It is the forward-looking educational approach that drives the team at the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg from the day of its opening.”
The “Artmobil” which has been made possible with the support of Volkswagen Financial Services and which has been operating for 21 years, transported over 100,000 young people from the greater Wolfsburg region to the museum. During their stay at the museum, the young guests experience a professional education and workshop program always specifically designed for the changing exhibitions.
