Abstract expressionism is not really my favourite kind of art, but a new museum designed by renowned Maki and Associates sounds interesting and worth a trip to Wiesbaden / Mainz. Museum Reinhard Ernst in Wiesbaden opened in June 2024, and houses the prvate collection of Reinhard Ernst.

The ground floor of the building is a semi public space with some art, a restaurant, gift shop, amenities, ticket counter etc. The second and third floor, built around a central courtyard, are for the paintings, sculptures and installations. Altogether, 9,700 m² floor space, 2,000 m² of which exhibition space.

The museum was specifically built to house the abstract expressionism collection of Reinhard Ernst. That implied the creation of sufficient space for the large works of art. Design guidelines for the building were, says the museum’s website, “Simple and at the same time possessing a refined interior design”, “Cosy and at the same time uncompromisingly modern” and “In keeping with the city and at the same time something completely its own.” These guidelines can be experienced. The building is modern and rather simple, it is far from spectacular architecture. It keeps with the city in the sense that the building is rather unpretentious; no tower was constructed, no special shapes were implemented. The interior is very well done – rather elementary and high quality. Whether people find the building cosy, is a question. It is of course subjective. The big, whites spaces don’t feel really cosy. Perhaps for lovers of abstract expressionism the feeling is different.

Wiesbaden / Mainz is a nice destination, worth the visit. In Mainz one finds the small but special Kunsthalle, the Neue Synagoge, and the Neue Zollhafen redevelopment, an inner river harbour now being transformed into and residential and working place.