Straddling the river Main in western Germany, Frankfurt is a key European cultural city. Once home to the writer Goethe and German interwar expressionist and satirist Max Beckmann, Frankfurt has also long been Germany's financial capital, a European centre of commerce. Steeped in history and prosperity, the city boasts a prestigious yet active art scene.
Among the many iconic art institutions and museums gathered on the Frankfurt Museum Embankment—a convergence point of the city's many long-established collections—one can find the Staedel Museum with its historic collection of European art dating from the 14th century to the present; the Liebieghaus classical sculpture museum; the design-oriented Museum of Applied Arts (MAK); the German Architecture Museum (DAM); and Museum of World Cultures.
Other Frankfurt institutions with a more modern and contemporary focus include the Museum of Modern Art (MMK), and the more nationally oriented Young Art Museum. Contemporary, modern, and historical exhibitions are also regularly held at the Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt's main temporary exhibition space.
With its strong connection to global and European financial markets, Frankfurt also offers expansive corporate art collections and exhibition spaces, such as the DZ Bank art collection—publicly accessible in the DZ Bank Art Foyer—and the Leica Gallery Frankfurt, located in the flagship store of the Leica camera company.
On both sides of the river, the city is home to a number of recently established commercial galleries dealing in international contemporary art, such as Bernhard Knaus Fine Art and Galerie—Peter—Sillem, alongside independent art collectives like Raw Art Foundation.
Beyond the gallery space, Frankfurt is home to a vibrant street art scene, as well as a rebellious undercurrent of independent counter-cultural artist groups.
Since 2018, German and international art collectors have converged on Frankfurt Fairgrounds for one of the city's few major art fairs, the annual Discovery Art Fair: Frankfurt. Playing to the city's strengths, the fair not only exhibits contemporary fine art, but also focuses on urban art and photography.
Frankfurt does also host a number of significant art festivals: since 1994, around 50 of the city's galleries have marked the beginning new gallery season, with The Frankfurt Art Experience in the late summer. Alongside the Luminale Biennial for Light Art and Urban Design, held in Frankfurt since 2002, it is one of the city's largest cultural events.
