Global Museum

In recent years, the discourse on contemporary fine arts and modernism has increasingly focused on non-European art trends, and will continue to be influenced by non-Western artists, curators and theorists in the future. With its programme “Global Museum”, the Federal Cultural Foundation aims to strengthen this shift in global thinking and – following the example of institutions in the international and German museum landscape – encourage museums to redefine their collections from a non-Western perspective. In light of how strongly our society is influenced by globalisation, migration and transculturalism, it is essential that art museums participate in shaping these developments and internationalise their collection, research and exhibition practices even more distinctly than before.

The Federal Cultural Foundation is funding projects by the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf, the Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, the MMK Frankfurt and the Lenbachhaus Munich, which examine the history of modern art from a global perspective. The purpose is not so much to reveal the shortcomings of the past, but rather to develop a new and complex profile of the respective collections and present a view of what the future of the museums might look like. The results of over three years of work and research will culminate in new presentations of the collections starting in 2017 and will include the museums’ permanent and special exhibition areas to an equal degree. All four projects will highlight their respective collections, on the basis of which they will seek opportunities to incorporate non-Western artistic production.