THE HISTORY OF THE MKdW
In 2009, the non-profit Museum Kunst der Westküste was endowed by the entrepreneur, Prof. Dr. mult. h.c. Frederik Paulsen, whose family is from Alkersum on the island of Föhr. Centrally located in the village of Alkersum, it builds on the history of “Grethjens Gasthof”, the former village inn where artists from Germany and Denmark as well as islanders used to stop by even in the nineteenth century. The idea of bringing this social and artistic meeting place to life again was behind the founding of the museum and the new construction of the present-day museum restaurant and café.
The museum makes the high-quality West Coast Art Collection accessible to the public, while at the same time providing an attractive architectural setting for the presentation of selected loans from Germany and abroad. As a result of its ambitious exhibition programme the museum has quickly developed into a cultural beacon with international reach.
MISSION STATEMENT OF THE MKdW
The Museum Kunst der Westküste is a non-profit museum which opened in Alkersum/Föhr in the summer of 2009. It collects, researches, communicates, and exhibits art reflecting on the themes of sea and seaside. Its focus is on art of the nineteenth to the twenty-first centuries from the west coast countries of the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and Norway.
- We present our collection in special exhibitions, allowing classical and contemporary art to enter into a fruitful dialogue.
- We promote scholarship and maintain close contact to artists, collectors, museums, art dealers, and institutions.
- We make a valuable contribution to the cultural identity of the North Frisian coastal region and to the intercultural dialogue between the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and Norway.
- We fight for art and aesthetic education to be a priority in social consciousness.
- We are a cosmopolitan, service-oriented, and family-friendly museum aimed at all age groups and walks of life.