He sits there calmly. On his stone rock. His head resting on his right hand. His gaze fixed on the ground. Since the opening of the Kunsthalle Bielefeld in 1968, August Rodin's "Thinker" has been pondering in front of the main entrance to the museum at the south-western end of the old town. The statue guides visitors to one of the most extraordinary art collections in North Rhine-Westphalia, which impresses more with its quality than its quantity. The collection is dominated by individual pieces rather than entire groups of works. They are housed in a cubist building with a red sandstone façade, which is itself considered an architectural work of art.
Guests who take a closer look at the exterior of the postmodern-looking building designed by US star architect Philip Johnson will immediately notice the massive upper part of the building, which rests completely closed on a smaller lower unit. This is characterized by narrow protruding girder wall sections and wide window areas. Inside, the first wow-moment awaits those entering, as the well thought-out layout of the rooms allows perfect access to the outstanding works of the late 19th and 20th centuries.
1200 square meters of exhibition space
The Kunsthalle Bielefeld specializes entirely in modern and contemporary art. The museum boasts 500 paintings, 200 sculptures and around 4,500 watercolors, drawings and prints, which are displayed in the permanent exhibition as well as in themed temporary exhibitions. On the 1,200 square meters of exhibition space, visitors will encounter works by Pablo Picasso, Max Beckmann and Käthe Kollwitz, among others. They are part of the wide-ranging overall ensemble, which is primarily characterized by striking individual works by a wide variety of artists.
A walk through the museum's own sculpture park concludes the visit. In the publicly accessible green area with its elegant water basin and looping paths, 20 more eye-catchers await closer inspection: Richard Serra's "Axis" looks huge, heavy and monumental here. The ten-metre-high sculpture made of three rust-red Corten steel panels towers high into the sky. A few steps further on, Bettina Pousttchi's "Viktoria" points to the back and forth of interaction and togetherness in public space. She has arranged street bollards, which are otherwise isolated, in an open space in relation to one another. Their curved heads surround each other. A work that raises questions. Back to Rodin's statue. It inspires us to pause for a moment and reflect on what we have experienced.
