MUSÉES HORS FRONTIÈRES

ART—DESIGN / DUNKIRK—KREFELD

24 January – 30 August 2026
Opening reception on Saturday 24 January at 3:30 pm

An exchange between Dunkirk (Hauts-de-France) and Krefeld (North Rhine–Westphalia, Germany), drawing on the respective collections of Kunstmuseen Krefeld and the Frac Grand Large.

Through the exhibition “MUSEUMS WITHOUT BORDERS”, the Frac Grand Large highlights the pioneering role of Kunstmuseen Krefeld at the intersection of art, craft, and design. Free from a chronological approach, the exhibition is structured around major thematic groupings drawn from the museum’s collection, offering a critical reading of the history of 20th- and 21st-century art in its aesthetic, social, and political dimensions.

From early 20th-century advertising art to Bauhaus works, from the experimental avant-gardes of the 1960s to more recent commissioned pieces, the exhibition explores the connections between modern art and industrial production, as well as their resonances with the architecture of Mies van der Rohe’s two villas: Haus Lange and Haus Esters.

By bringing together archives, historical works, and contemporary proposals, “MUSÉES HORS FRONTIÈRES”invites reflection on our ways of inhabiting space and on the role of today’s public collections—as tools of memory, vectors of knowledge, and critical spaces in constant evolution.

“MUSÉES HORS FRONTIÈRES” is the second chapter of an exhibition that was first presented from 28 April to 8 September 2024 in Krefeld, featuring a selection of works from the Frac Grand Large collection, curated by Katia Baudin, Director of Kunstmuseen Krefeld.

The project grew out of the celebration in 2024 of the 50th anniversary of the twinning of the cities of Dunkirk and Krefeld, giving rise to an exceptional dialogue between the Regional Contemporary Art Collection (Frac) and Kunstmuseen Krefeld through a cross-exhibition of their collections.

The project builds on the histories of both institutions, shaped by their industrial contexts, and on collections attentive to the evolution of applied arts and design. It highlights the richness of artistic exchanges between France and Germany in the 20th and 21st centuries, the role of art in industry, the critical ambitions of artists in the social and ecological fields, and their commitment to imagining alternatives and creating new possibilities.

Each institution chooses to illuminate singular moments that have marked the history of art and design by inviting the other collection to inhabit remarkable architectures—spaces that are both physical and symbolic. In Krefeld in 2024, these were the Bauhaus villas Haus Lange and Haus Esters by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe; for the Dunkirk exhibition in 2026, the project occupies all the spaces of the contemporary building by Lacaton & Vassal, with an extension to Villa Cavrois in Croix, within the Lille European Metropolis, designed by Robert Mallet-Stevens.

Far from being a one-off project, “MUSÉES HORS FRONTIÈRES” is conceived as a long-term platform for exchange, a driver of development mindful of issues of sustainability and social cohesion in both regions.

MUSÉES HORS FRONTIÈRES – MUSEUM GRENZENLOS
Art—Design / Dunkirk—Krefeld

Curator of the exhibition in Dunkirk:
Keren Detton, Director of Frac Grand Large

General curatorship:
Katia Baudin, Director of Kunstmuseen Krefeld, and Keren Detton, Director of Frac Grand Large

Artists:
Anni Albers, Josef Albers, Richard Artschwager, Marion Baruch, Peter Behrens, Henryk Berlewi, Bless, Shannon Bool, Franck Bragigand, Marcel Broodthaers, Alexander Calder, Christo, Jasmina Cibic, Sonia Delaunay, Walter Dexel, Volker Döhne, Helmut Dorner, Paul Dressler, Otto Eckmann, Lucio Fontana, Ludger Gerdes, Gilbert & George, Andreas Gursky, Hans Haacke, Peter Halley, Anton Henning, Candida Höfer, Wassily Kandinsky, Annette Kelm, Konrad Klapheck, Yves Klein, Harald Klingelhöller, Karin Kneffel, Eva Koťátková, Jannis Kounellis, Adolf Luther, László Moholy-Nagy, Alfred Mohrbutter, Marcel Odenbach, Claes Oldenburg, Otto Piene, Sigmar Polke, Norbert Prangenberg, raumlaborberlin, David Reed, Gerhard Richter, Hans Theo Richter, Dieter Roth, Reiner Ruthenbeck, Martin Schwenk, Gerry Schum, Daniel Spoerri, Jean Tinguely, Rosemarie Trockel, Timm Ulrichs, Ignacio Uriarte, Isabelle Vannobel, Franz Erhard Walther, Lawrence Weiner, Franz West, Sophie Taeuber-Arp.

A project initiated and jointly implemented by Frac Grand Large and Kunstmuseen Krefeld.

Supporters:
City of Krefeld, City of Dunkirk, Dunkirk Urban Community, Hauts-de-France Region, DRAC Hauts-de-France, Institut français, Franco-German Citizens’ Fund, ADAGP, Villa Cavrois, Dunkirk–Tourcoing School of Art, Faculty of Design at Hochschule Niederrhein, Lille Education Authority, Franco-German Youth Office.