Düsseldorf – A First Range Art Metropolis

What do Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, Rosemarie Trockel, Joseph Beuys, Peter Doig, Thomas Schütte, Günther Uecker, Albert Oehlen, Andreas Gursky, Thomas Ruff and Thomas Struth have in common? For years, they have all been at the top of the “art compass” of Capital magazine, the key indicator for global renown and rank of artists. And they all either studied or taught at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf or live and work in Düsseldorf. The list of internationally important artists with close ties to Düsseldorf can be continued even further: whether Tony Cragg, Katharina Sieverding, Nam June Paik or Imi Knoebel, Katharina Fritsch, Jörg Immendorff, Blinky Palermo or Markus Lüpertz, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Axel Hütte or Candida Höfer: Considering its size compared to major cities such as London, New York, Paris or Berlin, Düsseldorf features the highest density of world-class artists, and the Art Academy ist without question a talent factory of the highest importance. Congenial is the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen /K20, as it is considered one of the most significant collections of key pieces of the classic modern in Europe and the associated Ständehaus/K21 with its connection to contemporary art as well as the Kunsthalle and the KIT, which position themselves even younger. The Kunstpalast presents a historical arc reaching into today’s time and directly across the street the NRW Forum sets a focus on photography. The private collections Philara, Kai 10, and the Julia Stoschek Collection with its unique characteristic of superb video art, are also highly dedicated. Also, not to be forgotten are the over 100 galleries that traverse the City like a pearl necklace. All this justifies the question: Where else can one within such a short distance experience that much first-class art and walk within the steps of globally significant artists like in Düsseldorf at the Rhine?