In response to the challenges and crises of the twentieth century, artists embarked on a journey to question the world and explore new horizons. While art provided havens and spaces for reflection, it also functioned as both a mirror and an engine for social change. The K20 collection’s newly redesigned presentation weaves together the diverse histories of abstraction with contemporary issues.

The new collection tour at K20 comprises 25 rooms and shows more than 200 works of art created between 1904 and 2023. Highlights include the new acquisitions that have been added to the museum since 2017 under the direction of Susanne Gaensheimer. Numerous juxtapositions of historical works and works from today invite visitors to take a renewed look at history and the present. In addition, the collection presentation at K20 has been expanded by 800m² since 19 November 2024 and presents more than 30 monumental works from the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in five newly designed rooms.

The collection on display at K20 has been assembled since 1961 and includes major works of classical modernism. A selection of works by Paul Klee gives visitors an impression of the collection’s rich holdings. The exhibition also includes high-profile paintings by artists such as Max Beckmann, Wassily Kandinsky, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso.

In certain sections, pictures from the historical avant-garde enter into dialogue with works by contemporary artists of the non-Western canon, including Etel Adnan, Nevin Aladağ, Rasheed Araeen, Martha Boto, Sonia Delaunay, Noa Eshkol, Simone Fattal, Isa Genzken, Carmen Herrera, Jenny Holzer, Fouad Kamel, Alice Neel, Lygia Pape, Charlotte Posenenske, Hassan El-Telmisani, Anne Truitt and Marianne Werefkin.

Post-World War II movements can be seen through works by artists such as Francis Bacon, Alberto Giacometti, and Helena Vieira da Silva. The monumental installation Palazzo regale (1985) by Joseph Beuys is on permanent display. Two rooms were designed by the contemporary artists Anys Reimann (b. 1965, lives in Düsseldorf) and Peter Uka (b. 1975, lives in Cologne).