Aschaffenburg for art lovers
Aschaffenburg’s many galleries and museums display important works of art ranging from the Romanesque and medieval periods through to Renaissance and on to modern and contemporary art. The permanent exhibitions are often complemented by temporary exhibitions of international artists in the Jesuit Church Art Gallery.
Matthias Grünewald
Matthias Grünewald, also known as Matthias of Aschaffenburg, is considered one of the foremost exponents of the German Renaissance. The original of his final work, The Lamentation of Christ, can be still be seen today inside the abbey basilica. A Christian Schad copy of Grünewald’s famous Our Lady of the Snows altar is displayed in a side wing of the basilica.
Lucas Cranach the Elder
Lucas Cranach the Elder was one of the most influential and sought-after Reformation artists, but being a pragmatist, he also worked for the leading representative of the papacy, Archbishop Albrecht of Brandenburg. His workshop’s acclaimed Altar of St Magdalene, a panel painting featuring a life-size depiction of the saint and a magnificent middle panel showing the resurrection of Christ, is now located in the Stiftsmuseum.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, famous Expressionist and founding member of artists’ group Die Brücke, was born in Aschaffenburg in 1880. The house where Kirchner was born, Ludwigstrasse 19, survived the war virtually unscathed. Following sensitive restoration, the KirchnerHAUS Aschaffenburg association established a documentation centre of Kirchner’s childhood in the family’s former home. In early 2014, it rented additional rooms on the ground floor to stage exhibitions, talks and events relating to Kirchner. Since 2017, the building proudly bears the name of KirchnerHAUS Museum.
Christian Schad
Christian Schad is regarded as one of the most influential masters of New Objectivity. He was the first to produce ‘Schadographs’, an art form that involves creating pictures on photographic material and that is considered one of the classic manifestations of Modernism. With around 3,200 works between them, Aschaffenburg’s museums possess the world’s largest collection of Schad originals. The Christian Schad Museum, scheduled to open in June 2022, is set to attract national and international attention as the hub of the town’s future museum district. It will take visitors on a fascinating journey through the highlights of 20th century European art and cultural history, as they experience Expressionism, Dada, New Objectivity and Neorealism.
State Gallery Aschaffenburg
The Staatsgalerie Aschaffenburg is one of the twelve branch galleries of the Bavarian State Painting Collections and has an independent and unique collection of paintings. The core of the collection goes back to the Mainz electoral bishops, whose secondary residence was Johannisburg Palace. The opulent baroque hall forms the prelude to the gallery. The gilded ornamental frames with their early classicist forms and the fine wall coverings emphasise the elegant appearance of a Baroque picture gallery. The collection of paintings, most of which were collected in the 18th century, consists mainly of works by Flemish and Dutch Baroque painters. However, highlights also include the important Cranach collection and the two cycles with views of Mainz and Aschaffenburg by Christian Georg Schütz the Elder and Ferdinand Kobell.
Cork model collection
In 1792, court confectioner Carl May and his son Georg began crafting highly detailed cork replicas of ancient architectural monuments, such as the Pantheon and the Colosseum. The cork model collection on display in Johannisburg Palace is the largest of its kind in the world.
Palace chapel
Hans Juncker (1582-1624) was part of an artistic dynasty. One of the most influential German sculptors at the turn of the 17th century, many of his works can be found in and around Aschaffenburg. He is best known for the high altar in the chapel of Johannisburg Palace (1614). His material of choice was exquisite alabaster. Aged just 16, Hans Juncker produced his first altar for the village church of Darstadt (Ochsenfurt), which he confidently endowed with his signature, his age and the year 1598, leading art historians to describe him as a ‘precocious wunderkind’. The palace museum in Aschaffenburg holds Germany’s most extensive collection of works by the artist and his contemporaries. Its exhibition features important works that were damaged during the Second World War but have since been restored and are now back on public display.
The Pompeiianum
The Pompeiianum, an idealised replica of a Roman villa created by architect Friedrich von Gärtner between 1840 and 1848, is a must-see attraction. Inside, the spectacular frescoes and mosaic floors are complemented by exhibitions that change every year and feature original Roman artworks from the holdings of the State Antiquity Collections and the Glyptothek museum in Munich.
Jesuit Church Art Gallery
With its elaborate stucco work, the deconsecrated church building of the Aschaffenburg Jesuits today provides an exceptional setting for exhibitions, of which there are several a year, dedicated to nationally and internationally acclaimed modernist artists and to contemporary works from the 20th and 21st century. The Jesuit Church Art Gallery was closed temporarily while building work was carried out at the Christian Schad Museum.
Stiftskirche - Church of St Peter and Alexander
The Church of St Peter and Alexander dates back to the 10th century and the days of Otto of Swabia. Its central core was designed as a Romanesque basilica, with later sections added in the early Gothic style. Besides the abbey treasury and a collection of liturgical objects and goldsmiths’ work unique in the Bishopric of Würzburg, other artworks include a 10th century crucifix and Matthias Grünewald’s Lamentation of Christ and Our Lady of the Snows altar. Also of interest is the Romanesque cloister.
Gentil House
The Gentil House was built in the 1920s by Aschaffenburg industrialist and art enthusiast Anton Gentil to house his extensive collection of works. In 1949 he bequeathed the house and its collection to the town of Aschaffenburg. Emulating the artist villas of the 19th century, the Gentil House reflects the personality of its original owner and retains the character of a private collection. The collection includes medieval sculptures, paintings and folk ceramics as well as works by Anton Gentil’s artist friends. You will also see oriental pieces and works by the collector himself. The interior furnishings of the house remain unchanged to this day.
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Werkstatt Galerie
Andrea Müller and Helmut Massenkeil are two artists who have opened up their studios and workshops in Aschaffenburg’s old quarter, offering visitors an insight into their creative output. Set around a tranquil outside space, their galleries contain sculptures in ceramic, bronze and iron, as well as a vast range of modern handcrafted bowls, vases and other pottery.
Werkstatt Galerie, Andrea Müller and Helmut Massenkeil
Stiftsgasse 10
Kornhäuschen
The Kornhäuschen is an exhibition space for modern art projects that push the boundaries. Every year, the gallery hosts six shows by artists from home and abroad. The exhibitions can be viewed from outside or you can call to arrange a private tour.
Kornhäuschen
Webergasse am Schloss
www.kornhaeuschen.de
Galerie 99
Established in 2000, Galerie 99 presents a collection that almost exclusively comprises modern Chinese art – a programme that makes it one of the leading galleries of its kind in Europe. Around ten exhibitions per year focus on ink wash pictures as well as paintings in oil and acrylic. The spacious gallery offers ample room to present the diversity of Chinese art.
Galerie 99
Kleberstraße 3
www.galeriefaeth.de
KunstSalon
KunstSalon Aschaffenburg brings art to the wider Aschaffenburg region and also serves as a meeting place for creative individuals. The architecturally striking interior provides exhibition space for large paintings and sculptures. Through its art-focused initiatives and events, KunstSalon raises the profile of Aschaffenburg as a hub of culture.
Kunstsalon
Elisenstraße 15
www.kunstsalon-ab.de
New Art Association Aschaffenburg e.V. - KunstLANDing
For almost 30 years, the KunstLANDing has been dedicated to contemporary and experimental art with 4-6 exhibitions a year. Numerous additional guided tours, actions, the KinderLANDing and a beautiful summer festival make the KunstLANDing a lively place of encounter.
KunstLANDing
Landingstr. 16
www.kunstlanding.de
Galerie Muschik
Take inspiration from our wide range of originals, prints, paintings, sculptures and graphic works. For over 25 years, we have been feeding people’s fascination for art and for creative framing techniques. In our gallery you’ll find pictures by James Rizzi, Udo Lindenberg and Otto Waalkes, to name but a few. In our framing workshop, the boss himself frames your prized artworks. Whether it’s a child’s drawing, a football shirt, a holiday photo or an original piece, we will find the perfect frame.
Galerie MUSCHIK
Roßmarkt 37
www.galerie-muschik.de
Glasstudio Bergmann
This glass studio started life in Aschaffenburg over 30 years ago as a craft glazier’s workshop and has since come to specialise in leaded stained glass. Since 2001, when the company moved to new premises in a historical building on Karlstrasse, the studio has also displayed arts and crafts from other disciplines. Most of the works on show are by regional artists.
Glasstudio Bergmann
Karlstraße 1
www.glasstudio-bergmann.de
Graphik-Cabinet in the Löwenapotheke
This gallery, located in the reconstructed Löwenapotheke building, displays prints and documents of historical significance to the city, from its days as part of the Electorate of Mainz to the time of the Bavarian kings. These include copper and steel engravings of the townscape, letters from Aschaffenburg Palace handwritten by dukes, kings and emperors whose portraits can also be found in the extensive collection of copper engravings.
Graphik-Cabinet
Dalbergstraße 11
www.graphikcabinet.de