Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz

The Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz (Chemnitz Art Collections) are among the most extensive and important municipally curated art collections in Germany. They were originally established with generous contributions by several public art associations, including the Kunstverein Kunsthütte zu Chemnitz, founded in 1860. 

In 1909, the collections were consolidated under the curatorship of the King Albert Museum, and in 1920, reconstituted as a municipal museum. Today the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz are comprised of various museums and institutions: the Kunstsammlungen on Theaterplatz with the Carlfriedrich Claus-Archiv, the Museum Gunzenhauser, the Schlossbergmuseum with Burg Rabenstein and the Henry van de Velde Museum.

Thanks to its museum-pedagogical activities, highly acclaimed exhibitions on international modernism, theme-based projects and solo presentations, not to speak of its outstanding special collections, the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz enjoys a reputation of regional, national and international renown. In addition to its award-winning exhibition projects, the institution has been repeatedly recognised for its strong commitment to youth education, e. g. the ​“Art Bus for School Classes” project. In 2001, the Kunstsammlungen were inducted into the Blue Book of Nationally Significant Cultural Institutions and became a member of the Conference of National Cultural Institutions. In 2003, the Kunstsammlungen were awarded the distinction for ​“Best Concept for Vital Museums and Modern Cultural Sites” by the Hamburg Stiftung Lebendige Stadt, and in 2010, ​“Museum of the Year” by the German section of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA).