Max Ernst Museum
As early as 1969, the City of Brühl began collecting Max Ernst's paintings and graphic works. For more than 20 years, since opening its doors in 1980, the Max Ernst Kabinett (gallery) has served as an exhibition, research and documentation site. It is supported by the Max Ernst Gesellschaft e.V., a registered association committed to promoting and fostering Max Ernst's art. In 1999, the Kreissparkasse Köln (Cologne District Savings Bank) acquired a large number of items from Max Ernst's estate and from Dr. Peter Schneppenheim, a physician from Brühl.
This acquisition strengthened the vision of establishing a large Max Ernst museum in his hometown of Brühl. For the first time in history, all of Max Ernst's multifaceted creativity was to be showcased in one place, a place which would also serve to document the life of this brilliant twentieth-century artist.
The idea was realised by a foundation established in the spring of 2001. The foundation was created by the City of Brühl, which provided land and buildings for the new museum; the Kreissparkasse, which contributed a large number of items to the collection; and the Landschaftsverband (a regional council dealing with cultural and social affairs), which provided extensive conceptual and financial support.
