Museum Gunzenhauser

Description

The Gunzenhauser Museum was opened on December 1, 2007, by the then Federal President Horst Köhler and houses the art collection of the Munich gallerist Dr. Alfred Gunzenhauser (1926-2015).

In 2003, Dr. Alfred Gunzenhauser transferred a large portion of his private collection of 20th-century German art into a foundation headquartered in Chemnitz. For this purpose, the former main headquarters of the Chemnitz Savings Bank from 1930 was converted into an art museum by internationally renowned architect Volker Staab from 2005 to 2007. The architecture and the profile of the collection have formed a successful symbiosis, adding another cultural attraction to the city of Chemnitz.

Dr. Alfred Gunzenhauser, a passionate art lover, collector, and gallerist, donated more than 2,400 works by a total of 270 artists. On four floors, the museum presents significant works of classical modernism and the second half of the 20th century. The reputation of the collection is primarily established by two extensive groups of works. With 278 works by Otto Dix (1891–1969), the Gunzenhauser Museum has one of the world´s largest collections of the painter. The museum also holds one of the largest collections of the Expressionist Alexej von Jawlensky (1865–1941). The works of both artists, together with those of their contemporaries, form the core of the permanent exhibition on the museum´s upper three floors. In the ground floor, there are annual changing special exhibitions.