The collection of Goch’s museum spans an arc of international culture from the late Middle Ages to the present. This diversity is directly mirrored in the way the works of art are presented. The centuries meet here in playful dialogue. The meaning and importance of the art objects is thus revealed in an interplay of epochs, with the visitor himself building the bridge between the works and exploring their cultural context.
This approach combines our collection of late Gothic sculpture from the Lower Rhine with works from the Gothic Revival period, obtained for the museum collection through the estate of the Goch sculptor Ferdinand Langenberg, along with works by the Düsseldorf painter Eduard von Gebhardt, also from the late 19th century.
The works of the ZERO group represented by Günther Uecker, Heinz Mack and Otto Piene enjoy special status. On the principle of dialogue described above, these open up spaces of ideas in conjunction with paintings by Rudolf Schoof, Adolf Luther and Ulrich Erben. They also find correspondences with the works of such contemporary artists as Dong-Yeon Kim, Thitz, Mirko Martin, Jodi Bieber, Beate Terfloth and Gil Shachar, to name but a few.
The museum opens onto a beautiful garden overlooking the river Niers. Artists such as Günter Zins, Fides Becker, Klara Heimbach, Lothar Götz and Erich Krian have permanently installed their works here and in front of the museum and integrated them into the architecture.
Today, Museum Goch sees itself as a place of communication. In the close links between our permanent collection and the changing exhibitions, the museum is a public place of social discourse.
Interested friends of art and the museum come together in our Museum&Freunde e.V., founded in 1990. The activities offered range from art trips, lectures and artist talks to free admission to the museum. Together with Kunststiftung Goch, which we were able to found in 2008 thanks to private donors, our friends support the museum’s work and mission.
A very special concern of ours is the involvement of children and young people, whom we welcome, among other things, to our Museum Club. With special formats such as kids’ opening and our children’s editions, we encourage conversation on and interest in art and its social relevance, thus contributing to a culturally diverse, democratic society.
Neuerwerbungen
Aus einer Kölner Privatsammlung gelangte diese Stadtansicht von Johannesburg des südafrikanischen Malers David Koloane in die Sammlung des Museums.
Das Gemälde, das dem Museum&Freunde e.V. gestiftet wurde, fügt sich hervorragend in unsere Sammlung mit Werken südafrikanischer Künstler ein. Auch David Koloane ist uns seit seiner Ausstellung 2008 im Museum Goch bestens vertraut. Aus dieser Ausstellung konnten wir bereits ein großformatiges Pastell auf Papier ankaufen.
2017 gelangte als Schenkung aus der Familie des Künstlers eine weitere Bronzeplastik des Berliner Bildhauers Gerd Ewel in unsere Sammlung. Die „Sitzende“ gehört zu den reifen Werken des Künstlers.
Als Ankauf der Kunststiftung Goch können wir eine herausragende Skulptur des niederländischen Bildhauers Auke de Vries in unsere Sammlung integrieren, ebenso jüngst ein Gemälde des Kölner Malers und Sonderbund Mitbegründers August Deusser.
