Zwickau Art Museum closes until 2028

In a few days, the Zwickau art collections, which are dedicated in particular to the work of expressionist Max Pechstein, will close for several years. Construction workers will soon be in charge of the listed building. This week, the exhibitions can be seen for the last time for the time being. On Sunday (June 30), the museum will bid farewell to its visitors with an art festival.

The city has budgeted 8.5 million euros for the construction work, with around 3.3 million euros going towards subsidies, as Sebastian Lasch, the mayor responsible for finance and culture, told the German Press Agency. The main aim is to bring the fire protection system up to scratch and to renovate the building in terms of energy efficiency. This includes work on the façade and windows, as well as upgrading escape routes, electrical engineering and fire alarm systems. "This has to be done urgently, otherwise there was a risk of closure," said Lasch. He speaks of a partial refurbishment. This will make the building, which opened in 1914, fit for another 30 to 40 years of museum operation.

Pechstein paintings go on tour

When the museum closes, the artworks will first be moved before construction work begins in 2025 to 2027. In 2028 - according to the current plan - the art will return and become accessible to visitors again. Until then, many works will be in storage.

However, art lovers will not have to do without the treasures of the collection entirely in the coming years. The paintings by Pechstein, who was born in Zwickau, will go on tour to promote Zwickau and the art collections. To this end, an international exhibition tour is being prepared, explained Lasch.

"Best of" interim exhibition in Zwickau

In Zwickau itself, an interim exhibition will be set up in the Galerie am Domhof. From the beginning of 2025, selected works by various artists will be shown there in three exhibition rooms as a "best of" the collection. The life and work of Max Pechstein (1881-1955) will be presented purely digitally. This includes a documentary film and VR glasses to immerse yourself in his pictorial worlds.

In addition to Pechstein's works, the museum also houses sacred art from pre-Reformation carving workshops, old masterpieces, art from the Romantic and Classicist periods and contemporary works from the Leipzig School, for example.

Zwickau is part of the Capital of Culture region in 2025

The city of Zwickau is one of almost 40 municipalities in the area surrounding Chemnitz that will form the Capital of Culture region in 2025. They will be connected by the "Purple Path" art and sculpture trail. It is intended to attract culture enthusiasts to the area surrounding Chemnitz as the European Capital of Culture. According to the city, the interim location near Zwickau Cathedral will give visitors an insight into the treasures of the art collections despite the museum's closure.

The museum will bid farewell to its visitors at its traditional home next Sunday with an art festival. There will not only be coffee and cake in the museum garden. Guests can also inspect the exhibitions one last time or take a look at the highlights of the collection on short guided tours. There is also a station where visitors can get creative themselves. Admission is free on this day.