With an internationally renowned collection of modern and contemporary art, the Museum Ludwig is one of the most important institutions of its kind worldwide. Especially the outstanding holdings of works by Picasso, the Russian Avant-Garde and Pop Art are truly unique. Supporting the Museum Ludwig and accompanying it as a living institution has been the most important goal of the Gesellschaft für Moderne Kunst since its founding in 1985.

The foundations for the Museum Ludwig were laid by a donation by the legal advisor Josef Haubrich: In 1946, numerous important works of the classical modern period were handed over to the City of Cologne. In 1976, the signing of a donation agreement between the city and the well-known collector couple Peter and Irene Ludwig then sealed the foundation of the museum. The Ludwigs donated more than 350 works of Pop Art and German Expressionism, as well as works by Picasso and other pioneering contemporary artists. In return, the city erected a new building for the presentation of these works in direct proximity to the Cologne Cathedral, which was opened to the public in 1986.

Since then, the collection has been continuously expanded through acquisitions and donations. In 2008, for example, the honorary members of the Gesellschaft für Moderne Kunst, Ulrich Reininghaus and Anna Friebe-Reininghaus, donated their collection of the complete editions of Sigmar Polke to the museum. Acquisitions within the frameworks of our initiatives ‘Junger Ankauf’ and ‘Perlensucher at the Museum Ludwig’ contribute to setting new accents and filling gaps in the museum’s collection. Through the support of individual exhibitions and projects in the Museum Ludwig, such as ‘HERE AND NOW at Museum Ludwig’ and kunst:dialoge (art dialouges), we are able to support the Museum Ludwig on a long-term basis.

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