gisbertpoeppler.com — DIE GRAPHISCHE SAMMLUNG, STÄDEL MUSEUM

GRAPHISCHE SAMMLUNG, STÄDEL MUSEUM

Gisbert Pöppler has converted the rooms of the Graphische Sammlung in the Städel Frankfurt. The study hall opens on October 1, 2020. The self-portrait of Rembrandt at the window please!

From October 1, 2020, visitors to the Staedel museum in Frankfurt , can once again enjoy the works of great masters individually and directly. Following a year of renovation, the viewing room of the Graphic Collection , housing one of central Europe’s finest inventory of art on paper, will reopen. Here it will be possible to view and study, at request, drawing and prints by artists such as Dürer, Raphael, Rembrandt, Matisse and Pollock directly delivered from the safe exclusively to your table - art à la carte!

The renovations was realized by the Berlin office of Gisbert Pöppler. The new interior incorporates the spirit of the 1950s and 1960s from Johannes Krahns architecture for the museum‘s risalites, which replaced those destroyed in World War II.

Pöppler´s design reflects the spirit of mid-century modern formally in the furniture and the choice of materials, which are combined with great lightness. The conviction, typical for this period, was that the function of the rooms determines the interior,“ explains the architect and furniture designer.

„During the development of the design, we worked closely with the team at the Graphic Collection to understand their work processes and the requirements of this special place“.

The aim was to create greater space with better light for the concentrated study of the artworks. For this, the large wooden tables and massive rows of shelves were replaced: In cooperation with the blacksmith Christoph Muenks from Meerbusch, Gisbert Poeppler designed filigree tables, hanging shelves and a gallery, which is covered with translucent sheet metal. The original parquet flooring in the Print room and the Curating and Research Area was restored, while a durable rubber Pirelli flooring was selected for the gallery.

Primarily light colors were used and white tones were deliberately avoided so as not to contrast with the historical papers. The plaster of the walls reference the color of the stone exterior façade, and the hotrolled stainless steel on the cabinet and drawer fronts provides a diffuse reflection of incident light. The drawing stands mounted before the large windows and the administrators counter are made of limed oak - a wood found on the original double doors leading to the Curating and Research Department. The library chairs, probably from the 1920s have also been restored.

„Someone entering the Graphic Collection may not necessarily recognize that this room has been completely redesigned,“ explains Poeppler. „rather, our design is like a tailor-made suit. It should fit perfectly without being the center of attention“.

Images by Simon Watson, Text by Gaby Herzog