The world's first 24-hour art museum is a new type of museum that is available around the clock for the citizens and visitors of the city of Celle without additional staff costs. The creative factor is the power of the idea – supported by private initiative and voluntary commitment. The Kunstmuseum Celle is literally shining proof that innovation is possible despite tight cultural budgets and a rapidly growing museum landscape.
The collection spans a wide arc from the present to the 1960s and back to the early 20th century. On display are paintings, graphics, sculpture, light and object art by artists with national and international relevance.
The Robert Simon Collection is the document of more than three decades of work and engagement with modern and contemporary art. Their focal points reflect the personal interests and preferences of the collector, his reactions to experiences and events in the art world, his individual understanding of the art of his time.
In contrast to a collection based on scientific criteria, the private art collector is free from the constraints of objectivity and completeness. He has the right to impulsive decisions and devoted partisanship. Nevertheless, such a selection reveals more than just the person and life of the collector. In its deliberately subjective fragmentation, which also keeps the view open for discoveries away from the great artistic currents, it is at the same time a corrective for art history, which is formed by scholarly consensus.
