Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst

In the location's words:

Stop: Universitätsstr.

Cologne has the oldest museum of East Asian art in all of Europe and the only one in Germany. Important collections include sacred bronzes, early ceramics, stone sculptures and porcelain from China, wooden sculptures, screens, lacquer art and woodblock prints from Japan, celadons and Buddhist paintings from Korea, and modern Chinese paintings and Japanese calligraphy. The museum building, which opened in 1977, is a highlight: it was designed by Kunio Maekawa, a student of Le Corbusier. With its strict, clearly structured cubes, it draws on old Japanese traditions, but at the same time develops a new modern formal language. The center of the complex is the landscape garden designed by the Japanese sculptor Masayuki Nagare. This year's Museum Night is dedicated to "resonating spaces".

"Silver for Tsingtao"

From the estate of Heinrich Hildebrandt, the museum is showing a convoy of Chinese silversmith works: Table silver from the residence in Tsingtao, which differs from traditional Chinese silver in its European vessel form.

"Gods, Spirits and Demons."

Mysterious, magical, spiritual: sculptures, murals, woodblock prints, books and folding screens visualize the complex world of gods, spirits and demons. Two highlights: Raijin, the thunder god, or Karura, a bird-like creature from Hindu mythology. Special objects have been impressively staged for the new installation of the permanent collection "Japan".

"Yokohama Souvenirs."

Award-winning artist Naoya Hatakeyama presents photographs of Japanese landmarks from Meji-era Japan as inspiration for his own photographic investigation of these places. Artist Meets Archive of the International Photoscene Cologne.