Kunsthaus Hamburg

Our alternating exhibitions are conceived specifically for the Kunsthaus premises. A particular focus lies on promoting emerging artists with special ties to Hamburg. In close collaboration, we realize their first institutional solo exhibitions, as with Carlos León Zambrano, Leyla Yenirce, Rosanna Graf, Lila-Zoé Krauß, Nicholas Odhiambo Mboya and Daniel Hopp. In our group exhibitions, we pursue a socio-political agenda while also aiming to foster relationships between local and international artists. In addition, the exhibition for the Hamburg Working Grants for Visual Arts and the annual exhibition of the Professional Association of Visual Artists in Hamburg have for many years featured as a constant in our programme.

Connecting people is essential to us – both at a societal and individual level. We therefore create opportunities that facilitate encounter, exchange and creative experimentation. Based on a transdisciplinary, politically engaged programme of events and communicative projects, our foyer has established itself as an open space in the heart of the city where people can spend time, socialize and engage in discourse.

We maintain close ties with many artists, cultural players and initiatives based in the city. Since 2024, the Kunsthaus has acted as the umbrella institution for Hamburg’s City Curator project. The institutional connection is intended to consolidate the structures of this unique curatorial format for art in the public sphere, initiated by the Ministry of Culture and Media Hamburg in 2014. Since October 2024, the position has been held by Joanna Warsza.

Likewise firmly linked to the Kunsthaus is the Professional Association of Visual Artists in Hamburg, which has had its office here since 2002. The association Ateliers für die Kunst, which provides workspaces for artists, is also based in our premises. Since April 2024, the Kunsthaus has become part of the city’s renowned Kunstmeile Hamburg.

In the frame of various projects, we collaborate on a regular basis with initiatives, associations and institutions from a wide range of cultural fields, including Kampnagel Hamburg, Griffelkunst-Vereinigung Hamburg e. V., Metropolis Kino, Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg and fluctoplasma Festival.

Following an initiative by local artists, the Kunsthaus Hamburg was founded by the Hamburg Ministry of Culture and Media in 1962 and officially opened in 1963 with a group exhibition by the Professional Association of Visual Artists. The institution was originally located in a building designed by architect Paul Seitz at Ferdinandstor; however, this was demolished in the early 1990s to make way for the new building housing the Gallery of Contemporary Art of the Hamburger Kunsthalle.

In 1993, the Kunsthaus thus relocated to the former flower market hall on Klosterwall, where we are based together with other cultural institutions such as the Kunstverein in Hamburg, the Freie Akademie der Künste, the Barlach Halle K and several galleries. In 2002, the Kunsthaus was converted into a non-profit limited liability company with a management and artistic director appointed by the associates.

Previous exhibitions have included solo shows by renowned artists such as Rolf Rose (1995), Jochen Lempert (1999), Alicja Kwade (2008), Daniel Richter (2009), Thorsten Brinkmann (2011), Ulla von Brandenburg (2013) and Christian Jankowski (2015), young Hamburg artists such as Leyla Yenirce (2022), Rosanna Graf (2023) and Nicholas Odihambo Mboya (2025), as well as internationally renowned artists such as Khalil Rabah (2015), Bani Abidi (2016), Ida Ekblad (2017), Flaka Haliti (2018), Edith Dekyndt (2019) and Véréna Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor (2020).

Associates:
Professional Association of Visual Artists Hamburg, Griffelkunst-Vereinigung Hamburg e. V, Neue Kunst in Hamburg e. V., media entrepreneur Frank Otto

Artistic Directors:
Ruth Dunckelmann (1963–1986), Petra von der Osten-Sacken (1986–1989), Doris Cordes-Vollert (1989–1992), Rita Baukrowitz (1992), Claus Mewes (1993–2013), Katja Schroeder (2014–2023), Anna Nowak (2023 – today)

The Kunsthaus Hamburg is a non-profit organization. All proceeds directly benefit our cultural work. We greatly appreciate financial support in the form of a donation to the following account (reference: “Donation”).

Account holder: Kunsthaus Hamburg gGmbH
IBAN: DE06 2005 0550 1180 2132 80
BIC: HASPDEHHXXX

The Kunsthaus Hamburg is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Media Hamburg.