Museums, Stuttgart

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Located off of Kleinerschlossplatz 1, a 10 minute walk from the train station, the Kunstmuseum has an incredible collection of Otto Dix works, along with a number of other primarily German expressionist artists. They also have a floor for exhibitions which during my stay was titled EAT ART. Where there were numerous pieces by contemporary artists in which art involved food. From a rotating (to upside down) full size kitchen to pieces where animals made to look like they were breathing as well as baked in a cake.

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This huge glass cube is Stuttgart's newest museum, a city art museum which opened on March 5, 2005.

Actually it's even bigger than it looks, because most of it is underground. The eleven (if I've counted correctly) floors of the visible cube will be used for special exhibitions that will change several times a year, whereas the permanant exhibits will be down below street level.

Second photo: Here are the opening times and contact details of the new art museum, as printed on the front door, with parts of the Castle Square and various people reflected in the glass.

The Wurttembergisches Landesmusem in the Altes Schloss is a vast collection of history, geology and faith.

The exhibits sprawl over several floors, down corridors, up towers and around a courtyard. You might find it fun tripping around the corridors, heading up dead-end stairwells and opening heavy doors to reveal a treasure trove of delights, but a decent floorplan or more signage would enable you to make sure you weren't missing out and make the place feel more welcoming. The English brochure was only a basic list of the highlights.

For instance, coming down from the crown jewels tower we saw a door which looked intimidating and was covered with what I took to be warnings. We heaved it open anyway, half-wondering if perhaps we were invading some off-limits space, and were surprised to see a huge room of wooden religious carvings! The warnings must have been saying that it was a climate-controlled room and the doors had to remain shut tight.

These altarpieces, statues of saints and other icons probably impressed me the most. They were colourful, expressive and on a scale you don't see in England.

The lack of English captions or an English guide was frustrating, but things like pagan relics, crown jewels, Baroque clocks and Celtic goldwork all speak the universal language of artistic endeavours! They have on display what could be one of the oldest of all artworks, a piece of ivory carved into a lion's head 30,000 years ago, plus Aztec idols and frescoes from Pompeii.

With your tourist card you are entitled to a half price discount. Allow 2-3 hours (more if you understand German or have an interest in bones and stones as these were the bits we skimmed past quickly).

The museum is easy to find as it's in what looks to be an old and substantial fortress, though the castle was gutted by fire and completely rebuilt in the 1950s. It is open Tuesday to Sunday 10-5 and regular admission is 3 euro per person.

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One of the most esteemed art collections in Germany is spread through two buildings, one being an interesting piece of post-modern architecture.

You receive FREE entry to the permanent gallery with your Stuttcard (see my travel tips). Otherwise standard adult entry is 4.50 euro.

Art since 1900 is the focus of the new annexe (with a good batch of Picasso) whilst more classical canvasses (like a superb Holbein altarpiece) can be found in the adjoining gallery next door.

If I had the time and money I would dedicate myself to ensuring that all the great galleries of Europe had signage, captions, commentary and guides in at least 5 different languages in order to maximise the impact of the collection for the benefit of as many visitors as possible.

It is so frustrating to not be able to take home a souvenir catalogue of a collection in your own language!

The building in this photo is not just another wing of the State Art Gallery, nor is it part of the adjoining University of Music and Performing Arts.

But since it looks exactly like both of these, I never realized until after about six visits to Stuttgart that it is something else entirely, namely a museum of the history of the state of Baden-Württemberg from about 1800 to the present.

From what I've seen so far it looks like a very lively and well-researched multi-media museum, so I'm definitely going to have a closer look the next time I'm in Stuttgart on a rainy day.

The exhibits seem to be mostly in German, logically enough, but audioguides in English and French are available at the information desk.

The State Art Gallery (Staatsgalerie) is a combination of old and new architecture.

The Old Gallery, shown here, displays paintings from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. The New Gallery, which was added in 1984, contains art of the 20th century and soon also the 21st.

Both are located just across the street from the Opera House. But it is a very wide and busy street, so the only sane way to get over there is to go through the pedestrian tunnel, though I don’t usually do that if there is a feasible alternative.

Opening hours:
Wednesday, Friday to Sunday 10.00 - 18.00
Thursday 10.00 - 21.00
Closed on Mondays

Prices:
EUR 4.50, or EUR 3.00 for those who get a reduction
Free on Wednesdays
There is also a family ticket for EUR 8.00

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The Wurttemberg's state museum is vast, taking up a large section of the palace itself, and tracing the history of the region through artifacts and exhibits. There is lots to see here, from many time periods, including pre-history, Roman and Celtic. It's hard to pick a favourite as there is so many fascinating things to see, but I loved the huge 2,500 year old standing stone from Tubingen, pictured here, and the strangely rude Bauer Niederlande figurine. In the entrance to the Museum, which is free to wander around, there is also a wonderful model of what the town looked like back in earlier centuries, with the palace, moat and tumble down houses of the medieval period, and the town before it even was a town.

To see the entire museum you need to pay 3 euros, and you will find it open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 5pm. It is closed Mondays, unless it is a public holiday.

The Old States Gallery was constructed in late classical style during 1838 to 1843 as the Museum of Picture Art. This building was joined by the New States Gallery in 1984,. While the Old State Gallery contains works from the middle ages to the 19th century, the New Gallery contains the work of the 20th century including works from Braque, Chagall, Debuffet, Klee, Koloschka and Nolde. In addition the Gallery has one of the most important collections of Picasso's work is to be seen. Also 350 000 papers make up the largest collection of European signs and printed graphics within Germany. We arrived at almost closing time so I didn’t get to see much of the Gallery.