Museum Folkwang is located in Essen, in the Ruhr region, and is one of Germany’s most important museums for 19th-century, modern and contemporary art. Its collection spans painting, sculpture, photography, graphic art and poster design, with particular strengths in German and French modernism, Expressionism, Cubism and photography.

The museum’s identity goes back to collector and museum founder Karl Ernst Osthaus, whose idea of “Folkwang” was not only about collecting masterpieces, but about bringing different arts into dialogue. Today, the museum continues that spirit through its collection display New Worlds: Dialogue of the Arts, structured across 29 rooms and mixing eras, media and perspectives.

At Museum Folkwang, expect a broad but very readable museum visit. It is not only a painting museum: photography, posters, graphic art and contemporary works are part of the story.

You may encounter:

• 19th-century and modern painting
• Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and Expressionism
• Cubism and 20th-century avant-gardes
• Photography and works on paper
• Poster art and visual culture
• Contemporary exhibitions and collection dialogues

What makes Museum Folkwang special is its range and openness. It does not feel like a museum built only around prestige; it feels like a museum built around the idea that painting, photography, posters, design and contemporary art all belong to the same visual world.

For Artlovers, Museum Folkwang is worth including because it gives the Ruhr real cultural depth: a place where industrial Germany meets modern European art, and where the journey from Van Gogh and Expressionism to photography and contemporary practice feels natural, alive and beautifully connected.