Visiting an other museum in Germany: The MKG in Hamburg

The official website of Hamburg describes the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe (Museum for Art and Business) as "one of Europe’s most important museums for applied arts". And the facts are impressive too: 220000 visitors p.a., openend in 1877 as an arts & crafts museum an historic building with a new wing designed by the famous German architect Schürmann (*1928).

So my tour to Hamburg included also a visit of this museum. The entrance fee was not very cheap but included the free use of an audio-guide and a personal instruction to this tool. I did not take the regular route but started at the furniture design collection. Post modernism is an important part of this collection, but all classics like the Aluminum Group and Lounge Chair by Eames or chairs by Panton are found here too. I missed design classics that are not furniture. But on display was only the Valentine typewriter by Sottsass and two audio objects made by Brionvega. A big surprise was the great exhibition of pianos. It was a kind of best of piano history. From decorative cembalos to modern grand pianos. I missed only the music. Let me say only this collection is worth to be visited, even if there were no modern items, like the Porsche Design piano for Bösendorfer. Other collections include antiquities from ancient Greece, Asia and Arabia. Interesting are the barocque interiors.

A surprise were the free exhibition posters for visitor at the exit/wardrobe. I took two designed by Ott+Stein made for the "Käfer: der Erfolgswagen" exhibition from 1997.

The photo album from the visit:

Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe