Modern art museum, Tourist attraction
Museum Frieder Burda
Richard Meier's bright white building sits among the old trees of Baden-Baden's Lichtentaler Allee, showing Frieder Burda's collection of modern and contemporary art alongside temporary exhibitions drawing on international loans.
The story
Frieder Burda, second son of publishers Franz and Aenne Burda, set up his foundation in 1998 after plans to house his art in Mougins in southern France were dropped. The museum opened in his home city in October 2004 and now looks after around 1,000 works, with particular strength in German Expressionism and postwar German painting. The collection is shown in rotation with special exhibitions, so each visit brings new contexts. The three-storey building was designed to settle into the park, with as many trees kept as possible, and its proportions echo the neoclassical Staatliche Kunsthalle next door, to which it is linked by a glass bridge. The galleries are compact and calm. The concept store, open without a ticket, sells catalogues and prints alongside jewellery, vases, textiles and the odd piece of furniture.
Good to know
TAGGG AI- ✦Buying tickets online in advance lets you walk straight in without waiting at the entrance.
- ✦Plan on spending around two hours to see the exhibitions properly.
- ✦Lockers are available for bags and coats, but bring a coin since some require a deposit.