The Museum Ulm (Museum der Stadt Ulm), founded in 1924, is a museum for art, archeology, urban and cultural history in

Ulm Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...

, Germany. Exhibits range from prehistoric and early archaeological finds of the Ulm region (including the

lion-man The figurine, also called the Lion-man of , is a prehistoric ivory sculpture discovered in Hohlenstein-Stadel, a German cave in 1939. The German name, , meaning "lion-person" or "lion-human", is used most frequently because it was discovered a ...

statuette) to Late (International) Gothic and

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

paintings and sculptures made in Ulm and

Upper Swabia Upper Swabia (german: Oberschwaben or ) is a region in Germany in the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.''Brockhaus Enzyklopädie.'' 19. Auflage. Band 16, 1991, p. 72. The name refers to the area between the Sw ...

. Collections of 16th- to 19th-century artisan works by Ulm's handicraft guilds are also presented. Conservator and university professor Julius Baum became the museum’s founding director and its first art historian on 1 April 1924. According to his successor Erwin Treu, "this started the real history" as "an institute emerged from a junk room".

Exhibits

Prehistory

The museum's permanent archaeological exhibition was redesigned in 2014 after further fragments of a 35,000 to 41,000-year-old mammoth ivory sculpture were recovered at the original site in the Lone Valley. This

figurine is a human with the head and the limbs of a lion. In an extremely complex restoration process in 2012/13, the figurine was completely re-assembled from over 300 fragments and has since revealed new details. In addition to the lion-man from the

Hohlenstein-Stadel Hohlenstein-Stadel is a cave located in the Hohlenstein cliff (not to be confused with the Hohle Fels) at the southern rim of the Lonetal (valley of the Lone) in the Swabian Jura in Germany. While first excavations were started after the second h ...

cave, the prehistoric environment of the

Swabian Jura The Swabian Jura (german: Schwäbische Alb , more rarely ), sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending from southwest to northeast and in width. It is named after the region of ...

mountains is also documented. Numerous exhibits from the

Upper Paleolithic The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. Very broadly, it dates to between 50,000 and 12,000 years ago (the beginning of the Holocene), according to some theories coin ...

to the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

period, including the finds from the neighboring Bockstein Cave are shown. There is, above all, the exhibit of a

Neanderthal Neanderthals (, also ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and erroneously ''Homo sapiens neanderthalensis''), also written as Neandertals, are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ago. While th ...

thigh bone, the only substantial piece of evidence of this species ever found in

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

. Also on display are the artefacts of

Mesolithic The Mesolithic (Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymous ...

burials of the Bockstein Cave and the Hohlenstein-Stadel.

Middle Ages and modernity

Many works of important representatives of the Late Gothic Ulm School are presented in the museum. A chronology of the region's International Gothic period has been demonstrated, supported by valuable exhibits beginning with

Meister Hartmann Meister Hartmann was a German sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. ...

and

Hans Multscher Hans Multscher (ca. 1400–1467) was a German sculptor and painter. Multscher was born in Reichenhofen (today Leutkirch im Allgäu). He made himself acquainted with new artistic styles from northern France and the Netherlands, and became a free ...

to Martin Schaffner,

Michel Erhart Michel Erhart ( 1440 to 1445 – after 1522, Ulm) was a German late Gothic sculptor who lived and worked in Ulm Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, ...

, Hans Schüchlin, Jörg Stocker, Niklaus Weckmann,

Bartholomäus Zeitblom Bartholomäus Zeitblom (c. 1450 – c. 1519) was a German painter, the chief master of the school of Ulm, where he is on official record from 1482 to 1518. Biography He was born in Nordlingen and was the pupil and son-in-law of Hans Schüc ...

Daniel Mauch Daniel Mauch (c. 1477–1540) was a Gothic art, late Gothic Germany, German Sculpture, sculptor. He was born in Ulm and died in Liège. Further reading * Barbara Maier-Lörcher, ''Meisterwerke Ulmer Kunst'', Jan Thorbecke Verlag, Ostfildern ...

. The Late Gothic cultural landscape of

and the

Allgäu The Allgäu (Standard German: , also Allgovia) is a region in Swabia in southern Germany. It covers the south of Bavarian Swabia, southeastern Baden-Württemberg, and parts of Austria. The region stretches from the pre-alpine lands up to the A ...

is illustrated by the works of

Bernhard Strigel Bernhard Strigel (c. 1461 – 4 May 1528) was a German portrait and historical painter of the Swabian school, the most important of a family of artists established at Memmingen. He was born at Memmingen and was probably a pupil of Zeitblom ...

and others, which allows valuable direct style studies and comparisons. Representative works of artists of the 20th and 21st centuries also belong to the Ulm collection, among them

Paul Klee Paul Klee (; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented wi ...

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (6 May 1880 – 15 June 1938) was a German expressionist painter and printmaker and one of the founders of the artists group Die Brücke or "The Bridge", a key group leading to the foundation of Expressionism in 20th-centur ...

August Macke August Robert Ludwig Macke (3 January 1887 – 26 September 1914) was a German Expressionist painter. He was one of the leading members of the German Expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider). He lived during a particularly act ...

and

Franz Marc Franz Moritz Wilhelm Marc (8 February 1880 – 4 March 1916) was a German painter and printmaker, one of the key figures of German Expressionism. He was a founding member of ''Der Blaue Reiter'' (The Blue Rider), a journal whose name later b ...

. A highlight is the superb international Kurt Fried Collection. Amongst publisher Kurt Fried's 1959 to 1981 private collection the visitor will find works by

Frank Stella Frank Philip Stella (born May 12, 1936) is an American painter, sculptor and printmaker, noted for his work in the areas of minimalism and post-painterly abstraction. Stella lives and works in New York City. Biography Frank Stella was born in M ...

Mark Rothko Mark Rothko (), born Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz (russian: Ма́ркус Я́ковлевич Ротко́вич, link=no, lv, Markuss Rotkovičs, link=no; name not Anglicized until 1940; September 25, 1903 – February 25, 1970), was a Latv ...

Roy Lichtenstein Roy Fox Lichtenstein (; October 27, 1923 – September 29, 1997) was an American pop artist. During the 1960s, along with Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, and James Rosenquist among others, he became a leading figure in the new art movement. Hi ...

Günther Uecker Günther Uecker (; born 13 March 1930) is a German sculptor, op artist and installation artist. Biography Uecker was born in Wendorf, Mecklenburg.Yves Klein Yves Klein (; 28 April 1928 – 6 June 1962) was a French artist and an important figure in post-war European art. He was a leading member of the French artistic movement of Nouveau réalisme founded in 1960 by art critic Pierre Restany. Klein w ...

Daniel Spoerri Daniel Spoerri (born 27 March 1930) is a Swiss artist and writer born in Romania. Spoerri is best known for his "snare-pictures," a type of assemblage or object art, in which he captures a group of objects, such as the remains of meals eaten by in ...

Josef Albers Josef Albers (; ; March 19, 1888March 25, 1976) was a German-born artist and educator. The first living artist to be given a solo show at MoMA and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, he taught at the Bauhaus and Black Mountain College, ...

Max Bill Max Bill (22 December 1908 – 9 December 1994) was a Swiss architect, artist, painter, typeface designer, industrial designer and graphic designer. Early life and education Bill was born in Winterthur. After an apprenticeship as a silversmith ...

and

Gerhard Richter Gerhard Richter (; born 9 February 1932) is a German visual artist. Richter has produced abstract as well as photorealistic paintings, and also photographs and glass pieces. He is widely regarded as one of the most important contemporary German ...

. The museum presents a variety of exhibitions in order to make the complicated relations among Ulm's Late Gothic artists come to light. The focus of research is on the Ulm families of artists around

, Jörg Syrlin the Elder,

Jörg Syrlin the Younger Jörg Syrlin the Younger (c.1455–1521) was a German Sculpture, sculptor. He was born in Ulm, the son of Jörg Syrlin the Elder and became a member of the Ulm school. Further reading * Anja Schneckenburger-Broschek.Syrlin. In Grove Art On ...

Gregor Erhart Gregor Erhart (c. 1470? – 1540) was a German sculptor who was born at Ulm, the son of sculptor Michel Erhart. Gregor spent his working career at Augsburg, where he was made master in 1496, and where he died. Attributions of sculpture to his wo ...

and

. Since 14 November 1999 there has been a new presentation in the extension building on the subject of European and American Art after 1945. In addition, 20th-century graphic art and modernity are presented in temporary exhibitions.

Galleries

Associated groups

The Friends of the Ulm Museum () was founded in 1982 in Ulm. Its members support the particular concerns of the Ulm Museum and promote its scientific work.

Special exhibitions

A selection of the important exhibitions at the museum: * 1995: Der Löwenmensch. Der gegenläufige Spannungsbogen von gestern und heute: der Löwenmensch, 32.000 Jahre zurück: zur neuesten Technologie: das Jüngste und das Älteste. In Zusammenarbeit mit dem Museum für Moderne Kunst München, 20. Januar – 5. März * 2003: ''Tamara Grcic – Videos, Filme, Installationen,'' 20. Juli – 28. September * 2003: ''Ulmer Bürgerinnen & Söflinger Klosterfrauen,'' 30. August – 23. November * 2004: ''

Carol Rama Carol Rama (born Olga Carolina Rama; 17 April 1918 – 25 September 2015) was an Italian self-taught artist. Her painting encompassed an erotic, and sexual identity with specific references to female sensuality. She began to paint around the m ...

– Appassionata'', 12. September – 14. November * 2004: ''

Arno Schmidt Arno Schmidt (; 18 January 1914 – 3 June 1979) was a German author and translator. He is little known outside of German-speaking areas, in part because his works present a formidable challenge to translators. Although he is not one of the p ...

, Vier mal Vier – Fotografien aus Bargfeld,'' 4. Dezember 2004 bis 30. Januar 2005 * 2005: ''

Emil Nolde Emil Nolde (born Hans Emil Hansen; 7 August 1867 – 13 April 1956) was a German-Danish painter and printmaker. He was one of the first Expressionists, a member of Die Brücke, and was one of the first oil painting and watercolor painters of the ...

, Blickkontakte, frühe Portraits,'' 2. April – 15. August * 2005: ''

Leiko Ikemura is a Japanese-Swiss painter and sculptor. Biography Leiko Ikemura studied at Osaka University from 1970–1972. She then left Japan to study in Spain from 1973 to 1978 at the Academia de Bellas Artes in Granada and Seville. In 1979, Ikemura ...

, Skulptur-Malerei-Zeichnung,'' 12. Februar – 24. April * 2006: ''

Charlotte Salomon Charlotte Salomon (16 April 1917 – 10 October 1943) was a German-Jewish artist born in Berlin. She is primarily remembered as the creator of an autobiographical series of paintings ''Leben? oder Theater?: Ein Singspiel'' (Life? or Theater?: A ...

, Leben? Oder Theater?'' In Zusammenarbeit mit dem

Joods Historisch Museum The (; en, Jewish Museum), part of the Jewish Cultural Quarter, is a museum in Amsterdam dedicated to Jewish history, culture and religion, in the Netherlands and worldwide. It is the only museum in the Netherlands dedicated to Jewish history. ...

, Amsterdam, (Stationen: 16. März – 3. Juni 2007 Taxispalais, Innsbruck; 22. Oktober 2006 bis 11. Februar 2007 Ulmer Museum; 12. Oktober 2005 bis 15. Januar 2006

Sprengel Museum Sprengel Museum is a museum of modern art in Hanover, Lower Saxony, holding one of the most significant collections of modern art in Germany. It is located in a building situated adjacent to the Masch Lake (german: Maschsee) approximately south ...

, Hannover; 11. März 2005 bis 16. Mai 2005 Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz; 18. Juni – 22. August 2004 Das Städel, Frankfurt) * 2006: ''Karin Kneffel'', ''Verführung und Distanz // Seduction and Distance, (Stationen: Mönchehaus Museum, Goslar, Museum Sinclair-Haus, Bad Homburg)'' * 2007: ''Die Kunst- und Wunderkammer des Christoph Weickmann, Reflektionen über eine Sammlung,'' 17. Februar – 29. April 2007 * 2008: ''Michaela Melián: Speicher,'' 19. April – 22. Juni 2008 * 2009: ''Kosmos und Marionette.

und die Romantik,'' 8. März – 17. Mai 2009 * 2011: ''Die Weissenhofer: Radical Research – Die Wurzeln der Wissenschaft,'' 3. April – 29. Mai 2011 * 2015: '' MACK. Das Licht meiner Farben,'' 11. September 2015 bis 10. Januar 2016 * 2017: ''

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

– Fantasien werden niemals alt,'' 20. Mai – 17. September 2017 * 2017: ''Erwarten Sie Wunder! Das Museum als Kuriositätenkabinett und Wunderkammer,'' 20. Mai – 15. Oktober 2017

References

{{authority control 1924 establishments in Germany History museums in Germany Archaeological museums in Germany Art museums established in 1924 Tourist attractions in Baden-Württemberg Museums in Baden-Württemberg Organisations based in Ulm