The Tizio table lamp from 1972, designed by Richard Sapper, the garden(egg)chair from 1968 designed by Peter Ghyczy, and a bronze and glass jug designed by René Jules Lalique from 1901-1903, are some of the items on display at the Applied Art Museum in Frankfurt. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Art forms really run the gamut, with painting, sculpture, music, literature and architecture being the traditional attention-grabbers for tourism.
The applied arts, a field that covers basically anything designed to be used, tend to be lesser appreciated. But not at Frankfurt’s Museum Angewandte Kunst, or Museum of Applied Arts, which I recently visited.
The museum is housed in a glass-and-concrete building designed by the American architect Richard Meier that is, in itself, a work of art. A renovation in the mid-2010s included a makeover of how it exhibits the items in its vast collection.
Since then, it has featured frequently changing temporary exhibitions — some from its archives and others from outside sources — alongside a few permanent displays.
This concept has its pluses and minuses. You can visit the museum more often and experience the variety, but if you miss an exhibition, too bad.
A model of apartment buildings in Frankfurt designed after World War I as public housing is a temporary exhibit at the Applied Art Museum in Frankfurt. It compares public housing buildings after the war in Hamburg, Vienna and Frankfurt, and it closes Jan. 25. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
A “Style Room,” dedicated to Richard Meier, the American architect who designed the Applied Art Museum in Frankfurt. Featured in it are things as diverse as applied art can be. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
A variety of items from the Applied Art Museum’s permanent collection is on display in a section of the museum. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
The “New Museum of Bees” at the Applied Art Museum in Frankfurt reflects on the interaction among bees, humans and the environment. In the summer months, visitors can check out the bees in the museum’s garden on a guided tour. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Of the exhibitions that were going on when I visited in mid-December, only two, “The Rise of the Modern City 1925–1933: Frankfurt, Vienna and Hamburg” and “Tools for Better Cities by KSP Engel” are still running, though both close Jan. 25.
Luckily, I was able to catch the excellent “Jazzklub” exhibition before it closed in early January.
The permanent exhibits draw from the museum’s ample collection. Among them is “Richard Meier: A Style Room,” dedicated to the architect.
The exhibition features 20th-century objects as diverse as applied art can be, from chairs to stereo sets.
Braun is mostly known nowadays for electric razors and coffee machines, like this model designed by Dieter Rams and Jürgen Greubel from 1985. But the Applied Art Museum in Frankfurt has an exhibit of items, mostly designed by Rams, that features stereo sets, film cameras and more. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
When one thinks of the German brand Braun today, electric razors and coffee machines probably come to mind.
But the company has made everything from film cameras to hi-fi stereo sets, and one of its designers was Dieter Rams. “A style room” shows his impact on the company’s designs, from tape recorders to record players to electric juicers to the modern drip coffee machine.
“Elementary Parts: From the Collections” is a fascinating exhibition that brings together about 75 objects from the museum’s holdings. They range from a fifth-century B.C. bronze ceremonial vessel from China to an original 1998 Apple iMac computer.
A Jonathan Ive-designed original 1998 Apple iMac computer with its translucent body is on display at the Applied Art Museum, as is a Raacke-Koffer. Originally designed by Peter Raacke in 1966 as a carrying case for wallpapering equipment, it soon became a popular designer briefcase for businessmen. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
This turkey from 1733 is made from Meissen porcelain. It is one of the items on display from the Applied Art Museum in Frankfurt’s permanent collection. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
This küchenbaum, or kitchen tree, on display at the Applied Art Museum in Frankfurt, was designed by Stefan Wewerka in 1984 and actually went into production. It is 6.5 feet tall and 4 feet wide, and made of steel, beechwood and plastic. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Christian and Muslim art is displayed alongside furniture, flatware and an 18th-century turkey made from Meissen porcelain.
My favorite item is the küchenbaum, or kitchen tree. Designed by Stefan Wewerka in 1984, it features stovetop burners, a sink, a work surface and a storage space all attached to a 6.5-foot-tall pole.
The “New Museum of Bees” on the third floor explores the interaction among bees, humans and the environment, with displays made of acrylic glass. In the summertime, visitors can see the bees in the museum’s garden on a guided tour.
Inside the Villa Metzler. Built in 1804, the historic building housed the first Applied Art Museum, known then as the Museum of Decorative Arts, and is connected to the modern museum by an elevated gangway. The rooms on two of its floors feature period furniture. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Attached to the museum is the 19th-century Villa Metzler. Built in 1804, the historic building housed the first Applied Art Museum, known then as the Museum of Decorative Arts, and is connected to the modern museum by an elevated gangway. Rooms on two of its floors feature period furniture.
Upcoming exhibitions at the Applied Art Museum include “WDC Hub,” the central point for Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region during the World Design Capital 2026, and “Wool. Silk. Resistance.” The former runs from Jan. 24 to Nov. 30, while the latter runs from Feb. 7 to May 24.
Visitors gaze at a medallion from an altarpiece and a processional cross, both from the 12th century, during a tour at the Applied Art Museum in Frankfurt. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
The Applied Art Museum in Frankfurt was designed by the American architect Richard Meier and opened in 1985. Meier’s architecture is often white and revolves around light, space and geometric form. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Inside the Applied Arts Museum in Frankfurt. It was designed by the American architect Richard Meier and opened in 1985. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Visitors check out one of the temporary exhibits at the Applied Art Museum in Frankfurt. Only a small amount of the museum’s vast collection is on display, but it features ever-changing temporary exhibitions. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Museum Angewandte Kunst
Address: Schaumainkai 17, Frankfurt
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays-Sundays; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays; closed Mondays.
Cost: Admission is 14 euros for adults, children under the age of 18 enter for free. Admission is free every last Saturday of the month. Nearest (and cheapest) parking garage is Alt-Sachsenhausen on Walter-Kolb-Strasse for 1 euro per hour. Bring a 1-euro coin to use the lockers for coats and bags.
Information: www.museumangewandtekunst.de
