Sculpture focus in the collection
Today, Kunsthalle Mannheim houses one of the most important and extensive collections of 20th and 21st century sculpture in Germany. The foundation stone for this emphasis was laid in 1921 by Jewish patron Sally Falk, who made a donation of seven sculptures by Wilhelm Lehmbruck. It inspired the director at the time, Gustav Friedrich Hartlaub, to expand the sculpture collection with works by Auguste Rodin, Ernst Barlach, Georg Kolbe, Ernesto de Fiori and George Minne. After the Second World War, Kunsthalle Mannheim systematically collected contemporary sculpture of an international standard. Initially, the focus was on English, French and German sculpture. Since 2010, with new acquisitions by Franz Erhard Walther, Joseph Kosuth, Thomas Hirschhorn, William Kentridge, Nairy Baghramian, Rebecca Horn, John Bock and Alicja Kwade, the Kunsthalle has expanded the collection to include works representing a modern concept of sculpture.