Museum Island Hombroich - Art, Nature & Architecture

This is where it all began. That sounds pathetic, but that's how it was. This is where my fascination with spaces and their atmosphere began. I was maybe 14 or 15 years old when I was here for the first time, and I was captivated by the interaction between nature, architecture, and art.

Everything flows seamlessly into one another, complementing one another and only together does it form a harmonious whole. It was also the first time I perceived art as part of a space. That is, not displayed for its own sake, but in synergy with the surroundings, which, for me, further enhanced the power of the works of art (and made me a fan of Gotthard Graubner).

Even as a child and teenager, I always loved museums, but at the same time, I rarely felt comfortable moving around freely there because things were often so rigid and regimented. On my first visit to the island of Hombroich, I was particularly impressed by the unusual museum concept: The doors of the various museum buildings are open, it's bright and airy, there are no guards, no signage, and visitors are free to embark on their own journey of discovery.

Even though that first visit was 30 years ago, it's still vivid in my mind, down to the last detail. So, some time ago, I fulfilled my wish to return to Hombroich Island and immerse myself in those memories. And, what can I say, the fascination was just as great as it was back then.

Art parallel to nature. The motto of Museum Insel Hombroich, inspired by a statement by Paul Cézanne that art is a harmony parallel to nature, characterizes the design of an ideal museum and landscape space. Collector Karl-Heinrich Müller developed it to showcase a significant art collection, together with artists Gotthard Graubner (collection installation) and Erwin Heerich (walk-in sculptures), as well as landscape designer Bernhard Korte (landscape).

Opened in 1987, the Museum Insel Hombroich encompasses a 21-hectare landscape conservation area and is a fully daylight museum with ten walk-in sculptures, some of which are used as exhibition buildings. To make art and nature a sensory experience, the museum dispenses with artificial lighting, signage, captions, barriers, etc., and any didactic devices. The museum calls on visitors to be responsible and behave appropriately.

Text: Maike Kristina Harich

Information www.inselhombroich.de/de/museum

Copyright photos: Thomas Riehle