Museum für Moderne Kunst

The Museum für Moderne Kunst (Museum of Modern Art), or short MMK, in Frankfurt, was founded in 1981 and opened to the public 6 June 1991. The museum was designed by the Viennese architect Hans Hollein. It is part of Frankfurt's Museumsufer (Museum Riverbank). Because of its triangular shape, the MMK is popularly called the Tortenstück ("piece of cake"). Since 2018, Susanne Pfeffer has been director of the MMK. History The newest of Frankfurt's museums was founded in 1981. The idea to set up a museum for modern art in Frankfurt came from Peter Iden , an influential theatre and art critic at the Frankfurter Rundschau and founding director of the museum (1978–1987). With the Mayor Walter Wallmann (CDU) and the Head of the Cultural department Hilmar Hoffmann (SPD) Iden found political advocates for his project. In 1989, the Swiss art historian and curator Jean-Christophe Ammann moved from the Kunsthalle Basel to Frankfurt am Main and opened the new Museum für Moderne Kunst (MMK). Architecture Hollein molded a building to the three-sided space, so that the large rooms at the narrow end are wedge-shaped, producing 3,500 m 2 (38,000 ft 2 ) of exhibition space. The height of the three-storey building is adapted to the surroundings and is characterised by the "triangular shape" and facade design. The building houses three main levels for exhibitions and an administration area on the mezzanine, which is located above the entrance area and the cafeteria. The MMK library and archive are also located in this area. The entire area of the museum has. Collection The core of the museum is the legacy of German collector Karl Ströher with 87 works of Pop art and Minimalism . The manufacturer Ströher had originally bequeathed to his native city of Darmstadt on condition that a museum be built to house them. When funds for the project were not approved, Ströher's heirs sold the choice ensemble to Frankfurt and donated the painting " Yellow and Green Brushstrokes " by Roy Lichtenstein to the museum as a gift. Major artists since the 1950s from the Ströher Collection displayed, including Jasper Johns , Robert.