25 YEARS OF KÜNSTLERHAUS – a place for art, encounters and new perspectives

A quarter of a century of the Künstlerhaus Marktoberdorf: this anniversary provides an opportunity not only to look back on the history of the institution, but also to engage it in a vibrant dialogue with the present. With an exhibition and an anniversary week from 9 to 17 May, the Künstlerhaus invites visitors to reflect on the past – and to look ahead.

Between the Collection and the Future
The anniversary exhibition unfolds as a dialogue between different perspectives. In the Dr Geiger House, works from the collections of Antonia and Hermann Götz, Franz Hitzler and Franz Schmid come together.
In the Künstlerhaus itself, the upper floor is dedicated to the results of the open call: selected concepts and ideas from the call for entries are on display here for the first time, offering an insight into current artistic questions.
In the basement, a retrospective spanning 25 years of exhibition history complements the presentation. The show is not intended as a closed chapter, but rather as a search for traces: what has shaped the Künstlerhaus – and what continues to have an impact today?

A House in Exchange
The anniversary week is intended as an invitation to linger, participate and meet. The diverse programme combines guided tours of the exhibition and open-call contributions with talks, workshops and artistic activities.
At the Urbanimarkt (10 and 11 May), the Künstlerhaus deliberately opens itself up to the urban space and invites spontaneous visitors too.
The ‘Ma drifft si’ event on the evening of 12 May creates a space for exchange in a relaxed atmosphere.
On the public holiday, 14 May, the focus is on a day of activities: at a graffiti workshop, young people and the young at heart can get creative themselves, before Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” provides a musical highlight in the evening.
On International Museum Day, 17 May, architectural and storage tours offer a glimpse behind the scenes of the building.

A celebration that unfolds throughout the day
The highlight of the anniversary week is the grand celebration on Saturday, 16 May: from 10 am to 10 pm, the Künstlerhaus will become an open space for experiences.
The day begins with a cultural breakfast, followed by guided tours of the open-call submissions, a workshop on building culture, culinary offerings and the joint cutting of the birthday cake.
In the evening, the programme intensifies: a retrospective with the Künstlerhaus’s first director, Birgit Höppl, brings the institution’s early days into dialogue with a live music performance. The day draws to a close in a relaxed atmosphere with melodic house sounds at the bar.

A place that thinks ahead
For 25 years, the Künstlerhaus Marktoberdorf has been a place where art is not merely displayed, but engaged with in dialogue with the space, the town and the public. The anniversary brings this mission to the fore: to make contemporary art visible within a unique setting – in dialogue with place, history and the present.

Last edited on 03.05.2026