Cologne's Wallraf-Richartz Museum Closes for Two-Year Renovation and Extension
On August 3, 2026, the Wallraf-Richartz Museum located in Cologne, Germany, shut its doors for a significant renovation and expansion project. Known for its impressive medieval art, the museum plans to upgrade its facilities and introduce a new wing dedicated to Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist artworks, which have been on loan from the Corboud Foundation since 2001. The extension, designed by Christ & Gantenbein, will feature an underground passage linking it to the main building and will provide an additional 1,000 square meters for exhibitions. With a total budget of 160 million euros, the museum, which showcases pieces by Dürer and Rubens, aims to reopen by late 2028, presenting over 170 new paintings from the Corboud collection.
Key facts
- The Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne closed on August 3, 2026, for renovation and expansion.
- The museum will undergo two years of work, with reopening planned for the end of 2028.
- A new extension designed by Swiss architects Christ & Gantenbein will house Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist collections.
- The extension will be connected to the existing building by Oswald Mathias Ungers via an underground passage.
- The project adds 1,000 square meters of exhibition space across three levels.
- Budget: 130 million euros for extension and administrative areas, plus 30 million for renovation of the historic building.
- Supported by the City of Cologne, the Stifterrat (patrons' circle), and the Corboud Foundation.
- The museum's collection includes works by Albrecht Dürer, Stefan Lochner, Rubens, and Ribera.
- The Impressionist collection was received as a permanent loan from the Corboud Foundation in 2001.
- The museum's current building was inaugurated in 2001 after the Ludwig donation in 1994.
Entities
Artists
- Albrecht Dürer
- Stefan Lochner
- Peter Paul Rubens
- Jusepe de Ribera
- Paul Cézanne
- Paul Signac
- Oswald Mathias Ungers
- Christ & Gantenbein
- Peter Ludwig
- Irene Ludwig
- Gérard Corboud
- Marisol Corboud
Institutions
- Wallraf-Richartz Museum
- Corboud Foundation
- City of Cologne
- Stifterrat
- Ludwig Museum
Locations
- Cologne
- Germany