THE LANGEN FOUNDATION

The art exhibition house of the Langen Foundation opened in September 2004. The Foundation owes its existence to a wholly private initiative. The founder, Marianne Langen, achieved with the construction of this building the fulfilment of a dream. Together with her husband, Viktor Langen, she had begun to collect art works in the 1950s. Their love of the art of their time was complemented by an interest in the art of other cultures. This explains the two foci of their activities as collectors over many years: scrolls and sculptures from traditional Japanese art, along with works of classical modern art and contemporary art from the West.

The Langen Foundation, built according to plans of the Japanese architect and Pritzker Prize laureate, Tadao Ando, comprises two exhibition areas with a total floor space of 1300 sq. m. These spaces will be used for regular presentations of works put together from the Collection Viktor and Marianne Langen, the Japan Room of the art exhibition house being reserved as the central site for the Japanese Collection.

Apart from exhibitions, the collection also is made available to art researchers.

The exhibition projects of the Langen Foundation are conceived as purely temporary exhibitions and aim at stimulating a dialogue with art. Beyond that, they intend to put at the focus of attention the personal commitment, spontaneity and joy of precisely those private collectors who, like Viktor and Marianne Langen, have been guided in their activities as collectors by a love of art.