The Modern Gallery (Moderne Galerie) is one of the leading museums in south-west Germany and the Saarland’s major museum institution. Its collection features works from Impressionism to contemporary art and reflects the region’s proximity to France, with a focus on paintings of the Berlin Secession, German Expressionism and the École de Paris and Art Informel movement. The museum houses the estate of the sculptor Alexander Archipenko and has extensive graphic and photographic collections, the latter of which can be traced directly back to Otto Steiner, the founder of "subjective photography".
The museum building is one of the pioneering museum buildings in Germany, designed by the local architect Hanns Schönecker and realised in three construction phases between 1965 and 1976. Due to its high architectural-historical rank, it is a listed building and thanks to a spectacular extension, the museum offers an ideal stage for international contemporary art.
