The temporary museum

With the end of the exhibitions in the Glaskasten on Creiler Platz, symbolized by the light installation by Mischa Kuball at the turn of the year 2021/22, and the move out of the town hall, the exhibition program of the Skulpturenmuseum continiues at the Martin-Luther-King School in Marl-Hüls from April 2022 in a new form. Five ground-level former classrooms were renovated for the temporary museum and, with their large window front, are reminiscent of the basic concept of the greatest possible openness of the former Glaskasten. The exhibition program of the new location, which started with the exhibition "Christian Odzuck - A piece of marl", will focus on young positions in contemporary art in the coming years. It is supplemented by artistic interventions in the Hüls district, which expand the rich inventory of sculptures in the public space of the city of Marl in an interdisciplinary manner.

Skulpturenmuseum Glaskasten 

The name ‘Skulpturenmuseum Glaskasten’ describes, on the one hand, the location – the fully glass-enclosed space of the museum beneath the meeting wing of the Rathaus in Marl – and on the other hand, the substantive concept of openness and transparency for everyone. In Marl, the works of art are not hidden behind museum walls; instead, many of them are integrated into the everyday life of the city. More than 100 outdoor works, from Arp to Zadkine, are positioned in the public space that surrounds the town hall and the artificial city lake. The closer one comes to the actual Glaskasten, the denser the ring of sculptures becomes. The glass-encased interior spaces of the museum, which can be viewed at all times, house large sculptures that are not suitable for outdoor installation, as well as a series of small sculptures and objects.

The history of origin

The industrial city of Marl, which flourished rapidly in the years after the Second World War, engaged internationally recognized architects for its numerous building projects (e.g. H. Scharoun for a school, the Dutch architects JH van den Broek and JB Bakema for the town hall, H. Schröder and P. Faller for the hill house) and used a certain percentage of the construction costs for art purchases. With these funds, the city of Marl gradually acquired a number of works by renowned artists, mainly from the 20th century – large sculptures for the outdoor area, but also a number of small sculptures. Over the years, this has resulted in an extensive, high-quality collection.

In 1978, the art historian and later museum director Dr. Uwe Rüth was hired to maintain and expand the collection. Under the meeting wing of the town hall, rooms for the presentation of the small sculptures were gradually set up. The Skulpturenmuseum Glaskasten Marl was not officially founded until 1982. Since then, the exhibition area has been enlarged. The municipal Paracelsus Clinic has been part of the museum since 1990.