{"id":4344,"date":"2025-06-04T16:46:26","date_gmt":"2025-06-04T14:46:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marta-herford.de\/about-marta\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T14:52:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T12:52:21","slug":"about-marta","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/marta-herford.de\/en\/about-marta\/","title":{"rendered":"About Marta"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Architecture & Concept<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
The Building <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe swinging movement of the forms is echoed in the loose arrangement of stones on the ground, and the undulating roofscape also reflects the adjacent course of the Aa river. Inside the museum, this continues: as dynamic spatial volumes with an almost dance-like choreography, the architecture transforms every exhibition into a unique spatial experience. \n\nIn addition to the galleries, the Gehry building also includes the light-filled Marta Caf\u00e9 with an outdoor terrace by the water, the museum shop, and an event forum.\n\nA completely different architectural language of straight lines and right angles opens up to visitors in the lobby. The core of the museum is an former textile factory of the Ahlers company, which was built in 1959 by Walter Lippold. Gehry left this building largely unchanged in its basic structure. While the first floor of this existing building houses additional exhibition spaces with the Lippold Gallery, above it are the Marta Studio, the Marta offices and seminar rooms, as well as the premises of the associations of the wood and furniture industry of North Rhine-Westphalia. \n\nWith its opening in May 2005, the city of Herford also sent a clear signal for a future-oriented development of the station district. The sculptures around the Marta grounds are among the most important artworks in the city. In recent years, the museum has also contributed through its gradual expansion to visitors experiencing Marta as a vibrant meeting place. Thus, the Marta Studio on the second floor offers ideal conditions for a diverse workshop program in museum education. And the idyllic garden at the\nMarta Depot, designed by the renowned “atelier le balto”, invites visitors to a spontaneous stay with a view of the river at any time. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
History <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAt the beginning of the 20th century, Herford had developed into a significant location for its furniture and clothing industry. This highly productive and globally active economic structure led committed individuals in 1996 to the idea of setting an unmistakable mark in the region. The basic idea was to bring together art, economy, and society in a spectacular building. The decision for Frank Gehry as architect and Jan Hoet as founding director gave the project its decisive direction. On May 7, 2005, Marta Herford was finally ceremoniously opened with great public interest. After the museum was directed by Roland Nachtig\u00e4ller from 2009 to 2021, Kathleen Rahn took over the artistic directorship in February 2022. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
Guiding Principles <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMarta Herford sets standards. Conceived innovatively and managed with a forward-looking approach, it is a place where knowledge, thought, and creativity combine with a joy of life. Here, questions about the present meet ideas for tomorrow.\nMarta Herford is an internationally oriented museum for contemporary art with a special focus on its connections to architecture and design. Exhibiting and mediating are at the core of our commitment to art. Equally, we feel connected to the classic tasks of a museum: collecting, preserving, and researching. In doing so, with our focus on contemporary trends and developments, we always remain curious, open, and experimental. The communication of our ideas to the outside world is rooted in a regional identity and based on an international network. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Accompanying program<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t