May 4, 20222 min read

Museum Ludwig - True Art for the Heart and the Mind in Cologne

Updated: Apr 2, 2023

Join us for a visit at the Museum Ludwig in Cologne to see some of the best 20th century art in the world!

The Permanent collection of the Museum Ludwig includes Europe’s most extensive collection of Pop Art, the third-largest Picasso collection in the world, one of the most important collections of German expressionism, outstanding works from the Russian avant-garde and much more - you will not be disappointed!

Some extraordinary individuals such as the Ludwig and Haubrich families gave their extensive collections to the city of Cologne and, in exchange for these donations, the city built a home for the art designed by architects Busmann and Haberer in 1986.

Today the Museum Ludwig is home to the largest collection of American Pop Art outside the United States but you should also check the works of Johns, Lichtenstein, Oldenburg, Picasso, Rauschenberg, Rosenquist, Warhol and many others. Actually, Cologne sports the third largest Picasso collection in the world! Similarly, the museum’s exceptional collection includes a number of world masterpieces by Goncharova, Larionov, Rodchenko, and Malevich as the collection is the most important public collection of Russian art in the West with over 600 works.

To give a bit of an edge, the museum also portraits the art history of the Rhineland with key works by some classy boys and girls of the region and, with 70,000 works, the museum is one of the first museums of modern and contemporary art to devote a separate collection to photography since 1977. Part of the collection can also be seen online on the museum’s website.

In the temporary exhibition area, there was a fantastic exhibition of Isamu Noguchi during our visit in spring 2022 - have a look at some of the pics below!

There is a barrier-free access to the museum via an elevator on Bischofsgartenstraße. The entrance to the elevator is located below the south entrance to the museum. Ring the bell on the left side of the glass door. All exhibition areas in the building can be reached via elevators.

There are three wheelchair-accessible toilets in the building: one in the foyer of the Museum Ludwig, another on the basement level (contemporary art collection), and another between the Filmforum NRW and the museum library. Take a museum map from the ticket desk to see where these are located.

The museum has a superb bookstore, Buchhandlung Walther König at the entrance area, on the cathedral side and is accessible without stairs but mind you: the shop is pretty stuffed and it may be a bit difficult to move or access some areas that require taking a few steps up a staircase.

The café-restaurant "Ludwig im Museum" is located in a brilliant place above the Philharmonie with a breathtaking glass façade, definitely worth a visit. Ludwig boasts a local cuisine down to the finest details including home roasted coffee, not to mention the special menus for those preferring vegan, gluten and lactose free dishes. The restaurant is handicapped-accessible via a ramp in the ticket desk area. You can also enter the cafe from outside the building without stairs but you need to use the loos of the museum as there is no accessible one in the restaurant.