In 1986 Henri Nannen, the founder of ‘Stern’ news magazine, commissioned a building for his collection of 20th-century art in his home town of Emden. The core of the collection is formed by German Expressionism and paintings of the New Objectivity movement and includes works by Nolde, Macke and Kokoschka.
In October 2000 the museum was extended after the Munich-based gallery owner and collector Otto van de Loo donated his extensive collection to Kunsthalle Emden. This augmented the existing collection significantly, especially with works dating from after 1947.
Today Kunsthalle Emden is a favoured destination for art-lovers from all over Germany and from neighbouring countries. Henri and Eske Nannen have created a “lively forum for encounters between citizens and pictures”.
The painting school in the Kunsthalle has a particularly good reputation: guided by the motto “Many arts under one roof”, children, teenagers and adults can experiment in the arts while free of any pressure and academic constraints, and discover their own artistic skills and passions.
