On the 16th. January 1967 became the Kunsthalle Nürnbergopened as a city exhibition house for international contemporary art. It all started with a retrospective by the American sculptor David Smith, and with this exhibition, compiled by the New York MoMA for Europe, the founding director Dietrich Mahlow defined from the start, in which league the Kunsthalle Nürnberg should play in the future. With his international networking, a comprehensive concept for the renewal of museum presentations, a radically contemporary structured collection concept and innovative museum educational approaches, he set new standards. This ambitious new beginning documented the objective,Establishing Nuremberg as a center for contemporary art on an international level and also reflected the general mood of social change at the end of the 1960s.
The collection of international contemporary art, which has been compiled since 1967 with a view to a new museum building, was loaned on permanent loan from the city of Nuremberg to the Free City of Bavaria for the newly founded one in 1998 New Museum – State Museum of Art and Design in Nuremberg hand over.

The house was built in 1913 as Art exhibition hall. The building was initially used by the regional artists as an exhibition forum. The architecture integrated into the city wall with its eight bright, spacious skylight halls was always the platform for various traveling exhibitions and presentations by international artists. At the same time, the building also housed an urban police station in its early years. In the 1930s, the building served under the name Franconian gallerythe municipal collections for the presentation of exhibitions of regional art. During the bombing raids on Nuremberg in the Second World War in February 1945, the building was badly damaged, so that the exhibition operations had to be stopped first.

It has been since 2008 Kunsthalle Nürnberg Part of the KunstKulturQuartiers, which offers over 5,000 events a year from a wide range of cultural sectors: exhibitions with a wide range of mediation offers, film series and film festivals, dance theater and concerts of all musical styles, Projects on digital culture as well as specific offers for different age groups and target groups.
Networked with numerous partners at home and abroad, the team at the Kunsthalle Nürnberg today focuses with its program on overviews of works by interesting young artists and current themed exhibitions as well as influential artistic positions since the 1960s-Years. As a house without its own collection, the Kunsthalle Nürnberg can react flexibly to current issues and topics of international contemporary art and has long since become one of the most important places for the presentation of contemporary art in Bavaria developed.

Energetic renovation of the Kunsthalle Nürnberg 2018/19

In 2018/19, the roofs were extensively renovated and the building was upgraded. The heart of the renovation work is the new skylights equipped with safety glass, which offer intelligent sun protection and darkening. The new museum educational creative space, which with financial support from Future foundation of the Sparkasse Nürnberg was created, extends the mediation offer accompanying the exhibition, which in addition to the proven events focuses on digital media.

Marianne Defet Painting Scholarship

In memory of his wife Marianne Defet ( 1926 – 2008 ), Hans Friedrich Defet ( 1926 – 2016 ) has that Marianne Defet Painting Scholarship donated by the Marianne and Hans Friedrich Defet Foundation as well as the da Vinci artist brush factory is worn. This scholarship is dedicated to young international artistic positions, which mainly work with the medium of painting and is awarded twice a year. The scholarship holders are alternated by Institute for Modern Art Nuremberg, the Kunsthalle Nürnberg and that Kunstverein Nürnberg – Albrecht Dürer Society forgive. At the end of the five-month residence grant, the nominating institution organizes an exhibition in its rooms for the artists.
  

In memory of his wife Marianne Defet ( 1926 – 2008 ), Hans Friedrich Defet ( 1926 – 2016 ) has set up the Marianne Defet Painting Scholarship, which is run by the Marianne and Hans Friedrich Defet Foundation and by the da Vinci artist brush factory. This scholarship is devoted to young international artists who work predominantly in the medium of painting and is awarded twice per year. The scholarship holders are appointed in alternation by the Institute of Modern Art Nuremberg, the Kunsthalle Nürnberg and the Kunstverein Nürnberg – Albrecht Dürer Society. At the end of the five-month artist residency, the nominating institution organizes an exhibition for the artist on their premises.