Ever since the building on the Grabbeplatz opened, it has housed two independent institutions, the Kunsthalle and the Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen.

Hosting an array of exhibitions, but without its own collection, contemporary art movements and positions, as well as their historical and local points of reference, were crucial to the Kunsthalle's program from the start.

Pioneering shows were seen here, such as the series of "Prospect" exhibitions between 1968 and 1976, and so a number of international artists entered the European art market through the Düsseldorf Kunsthalle.

With exhibitions like “Back to Concrete — The Beginnings of Punk and New Wave in Germany 1977- '82,” “Ready to Shoot — Fernsehgalerie Gerry Schum, videogalerischum” (2003), “Palermo (2007), “Sonic Youth etc.

Under his direction, international currents and Düsseldorf positions, new talents and “big” names will continue to find their place in this out-of-the-ordinary venue.