The first completed building by Daniel Libeskind exhibits the work of the painter Felix Nussbaum
The Felix Nussbaum Building, opened on 18 July 1998 in Osnabrück, Germany. It was the first completed building by the architect Daniel Libeskind. This extension of the city's Museum of Cultural History is dedicated to life and work of the major twentieth century artist Felix Nussbaum.
Over the last thirty years the Museum has assembled an unrivalled collection of more than 170 of Nussbaum's paintings and graphic works, as well as biographical materials and historical documents. These works will be dis-played in specially designed new galleries, together with a record of the artist's life and a programme of temporary exhibitions.
Daniel Libeskind's design for the museum is based on a system of interrelated lines, which symbolise Felix Nussbaum's restlessness, exile and his search for orientation. The maze-like building uses wood, concrete and zinc sheeting and incorporates a 17th century bridge which was uncovered during construction. Daniel Libeskind's other international projects include the Jewish Museum in Berlin, a new building for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Jewish Museum in San Francisco.
Felix Nussbaum was born in Osnabrück in 1904 and enjoyed considerable success in Berlin and Rome during the 1920s and early 1930s, when his work was compared to that of Henri Rousseau and Vincent van Gogh. Following the rise of fascism, Nussbaum was unable to return to Germany and he settled in Brussels in 1937. The paintings he created in the years that followed reflect the persecution he suffered and his increasing artistic isolation. In 1944 Nussbaum was deported to Auschwitz, where he died.
Felix Nussbaum-Building, Lotter Str. 2, 49078 Osnabrück, Germany
Opening hours: Tues - Fri 11 am - 6 pm, Sat & Sun 10 am - 6 pm
