Kunstverein
Klosterwall 23
The Hamburg Art Association is one of the oldest in Germany. It does not feature permanent exhibitions. Rather, following a tradition dating back to 1817, artists who are often making their debut are presented, disseminated, and promoted through a continuous cycle of temporary exhibitions and events.
Just to give some examples, Caspar David Friedrich, Arnold Böcklin, and Francis Bacon had their first solo exhibitions here. More recently, the most famous contemporary artists like Oscar Murillo, Olafur Eliasson, Wolfgang Tillmans, and Sarah Lucas have also passed through here.
The Kunstverein is hosted in a former covered market at the center of the Art Mile, between Deichtorhallen and the Kunsthalle. Admission costs €5.00. A reduced ticket is €3.00.
Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe
Steintorplatz
With around 500,000 objects across 4,000 years of history, the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg (MK&G) was inaugurated in 1877. Its 10,000 square meters offer more than classic art. MK&G exhibits collections of graphics, posters, photography and new media, design, fashion, musical instruments, and ceramics.
It unfolds over four levels, each with its own style. The ground floor hosts the permanent exhibitions of Ancient Art and the Renaissance Collection, Christianity in the Middle Ages, the Milde-Speckter Rooms, the Louis-Seize Room, the Spiegelsaal, and the exhibition of historical keyboard instruments from the Beurmann Collection.
The first floor hosts the following collections: Modernity, Art Nouveau, Islam, Buddhism and Samurai, the Japanese teahouse, and Musical Instruments.
Second-floor visitors can find exhibitions from East Asia and Post-1945 Design with the legendary SPIEGEL-Canteen, Hamburg Modernity, and the HASPA Gallery. Finally, the basement features Hubertus Wald Kids' World to keep children busy while their parents go on the tour.
MK&G often offers exhibits with great popular appeal, such as those on tattoos, comics, or animated films.