Architecture & Concept
With its flowing and tilting walls, Marta in Herford, East Westphalia, is one of the most unusual museum buildings worldwide. For the facade, American star architect Frank Gehry chose dark red bricks, which contrast with the bright stainless steel roof and the white plastered building core.
The Building
History
Guiding Principles
Accompanying program
Guided Tour through the Exhibitions
In a one-hour tour with our freelance art educators through the current exhibitions, you will receive information about the exhibiting artists and their works and have the opportunity to ask questions about the art.
Ticket
3.50 euros plus exhibition entrance fee
Registration
no registration required
Guided Tour of the Gehry Architecture
Accompanied by an art educator, you will experience the museum’s unique Gehry architecture. During the one-hour tour, you will receive information about the Marta as a building and have the opportunity to ask questions.
Ticket
3.50 euros plus museum admission
Registration
no registration required, limited number of participants
Marta Wednesday
Enjoy art after work: Every Wednesday, the Marta invites you to end the day with a relaxed visit to the exhibition until 8 p.m.
Guided Tour through the Exhibitions
In a one-hour tour with our freelance art educators through the current exhibitions, you will receive information about the exhibiting artists and their works and have the opportunity to ask questions about the art.
Ticket
3.50 euros plus exhibition entrance fee
Registration
no registration required
Guided Tour of the Gehry Architecture
Accompanied by an art educator, you will experience the museum’s unique Gehry architecture. During the one-hour tour, you will receive information about the Marta as a building and have the opportunity to ask questions.
Ticket
3.50 euros plus museum admission
Registration
no registration required, limited number of participants
“City + Vision” – Frank Gehry Special: Interactive Exhibition Tour + Presentation with Prof. Berthold H. Penkhues
City + Vision – Herford Architecture Talks – Frank Gehry Special
6.30 p.m.: Interactive exhibition tour with Prof. Berthold Heinrich Penkhues and Marta Director Kathleen Rahn
7.30 p.m.: Slide presentation at the Marta Forum with Prof. Berthold Heinrich Penkues
This special evening in the “City + Vision – Herford Architecture Talks” series is dedicated to Marta architect Frank Gehry—as part of the exhibition Mindset Los Angeles – Frank Gehry und die Cool School. The guest speaker is architect Prof. Berthold Heinrich Penkhues, who worked at Frank Gehry’s firm in the second half of the 1980s. In a one-hour interactive exhibition tour, Penkhues and Marta Director Kathleen Rahn will focus primarily on Gehry’s architectural projects.
In his following presentation at the Marta Forum, Penkhues talks about his work over several years in Venice and Santa Monica, California, with Frank Gehry: From a personal perspective, he illustrates and describes formative experiences from that time. In 1989, Penkhues returned to Kassel, where he founded his own architectural firm and served for five years as a lecturer and research associate at the University of Kassel. In 1994, he was called to the Carolo Wilhelmina Technical University in Braunschweig, where he heads the Institute for Experimental Design (IEX). In 2001, he received the Hessian Culture Prize for his outstanding achievements in architecture, particularly for the museum in Korbach’s old town.
This event is made possible through a partnership with the Association of German Architects (BDA) in East Westphalia-Lippe.
Ticket
Guided tour of the exhibition: 3.50 euros plus admission to the exhibition
Lecture at the Marta Forum: 5 euros, reduced price* 3 euros
*Reduced for people in education (18-27 years) and people with disabilities (from GdB 50), proof as well as a photo ID must be presented unsolicited at the entrance
Info
Advance sale online or at the museum box office (Tue to Sun 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wed to 8 p.m.)
On Wednesday evenings, the exhibitions are open until 8 p.m.
Curatorial tour of “Mindset Los Angeles” with curator Ann-Kristin Kreisel
During the one-hour guided tour of the current exhibition Mindset Los Angeles led by Marta curator Ann-Kristin Kreisel, visitors will learn about the background of the exhibition, its development, and the works on display. The tour will cover interesting facts about Frank Gehry (1929–2025), the architect of the Marta Herford, as well as the artists of his time in Los Angeles who had a profound influence on his work. Building on this, the tour will also explore works by subsequent generations of artists in L.A.
(Exhibition at the Gehry Galleries and the Lippold Gallery, 1st floor)
Ticket:
3.50 euros plus admission to the exhibition; no registration required; limited number of participants
Archive City + Vision
Since 2013, the “Herford Architecture Talks” have addressed ideas and visions of urban life as well as current issues in architecture and urban planning – a stimulating evening with renowned and influential personalities, not just for architects!