Kolumba (museum)

The Diocesan Museum was founded in Cologne in 1853 by the Christian Art Association of the Cologne Archdiocese - in 1989 the museum came under the direct control of the Archdiocese of Cologne. At the same time, based on the original concept of 1853, the modern Columbus considers itself to be an art museum sponsored by the diocese, and sees as its task a comprehensive presentation of issues of fine art .

Building

Until April 9, 2007, the museum was located in a building on Roncalliplatz Square, in the immediate vicinity of Cologne Cathedral . October 1, 2003, the ceremony of laying the foundation of a new museum building was held according to the project of the Swiss architect Peter Zumtor Cardinal Meisner opened the new museum on September 15, 2007.

In its plan for the museum building, Zumtor intended to combine old and modern architecture, since the structure itself was erected directly on the ruins of the late Gothic St. Columbus church, which was destroyed during the Second World War . The cubic light building incorporated the remains of the walls and the Romanesque foundation of the former temple; the author believed that in this way the building not only becomes an “architectural-historical continuum” (baugeschichtlichen Kontinuum), but also part of the art museum itself. The new building also includes the foundation of the Madonna in den Trümmern chapel, built by Cologne architect Gottfried Böhm after the war.

The changing daylight was supposed to be used to create a "changeable" interior - artificial light sources were deliberately excluded from the project. Numerous glass facades from floor to ceiling give the impression of a fusion of interior and exterior. Thus, according to the author, the idea of ​​a “living museum” is embodied, the boundaries are erased and an atmosphere of openness and infinity arises.

Collection

The museum’s collection is extremely diverse: it ranges from works created in the late antiquity to works of contemporary art; it includes both Roman sculptures and spatial installations ; Medieval easel painting is located next to the works of the direction "Radical Painting". The guiding principle of the formation of such a “heterogeneous” collection is that the museum itself sees proportion and beauty - as the connecting elements of any work of art. The main focus of the funds is on early Christian art (in particular, Coptic and Syrian textiles), painting, sculpture and jewelry, created in the period from the 11th to the 16th century, as well as manuscripts and manuscripts. A significant part of the foundation is the collection of beads .

The museum fund expanded significantly in 1996 thanks to a donation to the museum of the Schenkung Härle collection, one of Germany’s most famous private collections of medieval sculpture. In the field of classical modernism, the museum managed to form a collection that shows the transition from 19th-century art to modern trends. The donation of the Andor Weininger collection (1899-1986) in 1999 became the basis for the Bauhaus Foundation; 1970s work includes works by artists such as Joseph Boyce , Manolo Millares, Antonio Saura and Anthony Tapies . The museum also contains the world's most comprehensive collection of works by Paul Tech . The focus of the 21st century art collection is on graphic works and drawings.

With the financial support of several cultural foundations and private patrons, in 1999 the museum managed to acquire a Roman ivory crucifix , which art historians date to the second half of the 12th century; previously it belonged to Eugen Oettingen-Wallerstein (1885-1969). A crucifix with a height of 53 cm is characterized by high plasticity and unusual accuracy for its time in conveying the features of the face and hair of Jesus Christ.

As part of the Living Museum concept, Kolumba does not draw clear boundaries between the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions: works from its own collection are shown together with temporary ones and changed several times a year (Sterne für Kolumba series). A characteristic feature that involves the creation of a more intimate atmosphere is the almost complete absence of plates and signatures for objects, as well as the coexistence in one space of works that are not connected chronologically , historically or thematically.

• 2013: “Museum of the Year” - German branch, International Association of Art Critics (AICA) ^[1] .

• Kurhaus Museum in Kleve
• Museum of Modern Art in Siegen
• Museum of Modern Art (MKM) in Duisburg

• Kolumba: Ein Architekturwettbewerb in Köln 1997 / Erzbischöfliches Diözesanmuseum. König, Köln 1997. ISBN 3-88375-299-1 .
• Auswahl eins, herausgegeben, bearbeitet und mit Texten von Joachim M. Plotzek, Katharina Winnekes, Stefan Kraus, Ulrike Surmann und Marc Steinmann, unter Mitarbeit von Michael Dodt, Joachim Oepen, Sven Seiler und Vera Gilgenf Lönf Kol, ), ISBN 3-931326-56-X .
• Auswahl zwei, bearbeitet und mit Texten von Stefan Kraus, Katharina Winnekes, Ulrike Surmann und Marc Steinmann unter Mitarbeit von Eva Maria Klother und Joachim M. Plotzek, Fotografien von Hélène Binet und Lothar Schnepf) (Kolumb No. 31) -4-1 .
• Bestandskatalog Paul Thek. Shrine (KOLUMBA Werkhefte und Bücher, Band 38), hrsg. von Stefan Kraus, Ulrike Surmann, Marc Steinmann und Barbara von Flüe, mit Texten von Joachim M. Plotzek, Dirk Teuber, Michael Nickel, Friedhelm Mennekes, Jean-Christophe Ammann, Susanne Neubauer und Katharina Winnekes, Druckhaus Duisburg OM2 3-9813182-7-2 (auch als englische Ausgabe).
• Ulrike Surmann, Johannes Schröer (Hrsg.): Trotz Natur und Augenschein. Eucharistie - Wandlung und Weltsicht, Greven Verlag, Köln 2013, ISBN 978-3-7743-0611-0 .
• Elke Backes: Kolumba. Die Evolution eines Museums, B. Kühlen Verlag, Mönchengladbach 2015, ISBN 978-3-87448-399-5 .

• Kolumba - Home of Christian art: A Christian art museum housed in an architectural masterpiece (German) . nrw-tourism.com . Tourismus NRW eV Date of access August 10, 2019.