German President Praises Emden Kunsthalle's 'Extraordinary Quality' at 40th Anniversary

The Emder Kunsthalle, founded 40 years ago by Henri and Eske Nannen, celebrated its anniversary with a ceremony attended by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, his wife Elke Büdenbender, Lower Saxony's Minister President Olaf Lies, and founder Eske Nannen. Steinmeier praised the museum's collection as of 'extraordinary quality' and highlighted the Nannens' vision to bring art to rural regions. The museum opened on October 3, 1986, with a speech by then-President Richard von Weizsäcker. Over 2.5 million visitors have attended around 180 special exhibitions. The anniversary exhibition 'Bilder, die wir lieben' (Pictures We Love) features 200 works from the collection, including pieces by Gabriele Münter, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Max Beckmann, and Franz Marc's 'Die Blauen Fohlen', displayed against a specially mixed blue paint originally discovered by Nannen in the USA. The exhibition also tells the story of Nannen's early art passion through collectible cards from the 1920s. The museum has expanded multiple times and now holds around 1,700 works, including the 1999 donation of Otto van de Loo's collection focusing on German Expressionism after 1945. Eske Nannen announced a fifth construction phase for building and energy modernization, with the federal government pledging €30 million in support.