A marvel of art deco architecture: the Grassi Museum in Leipzig

Back in Leipzig for a street art event, IBUG, about which I’ll be writing a post shortly, I took the opportunity to make a diversion to the Grassi Museum to discover its interior.

The first version of this museum dates from the end of the 19th century. The current museum was built between 1925 and 1929 with a strong Art Deco influence.

This can be seen right from the outside, with its large red building and highly distinctive decorative elements.

Inside there are three museums, one of which deals with the evolution of the Jugend Styl movement right up to the present day, in furniture, decorative elements, etc. A fine collection.

Inside the museum, you’ll find the pillar room (die Pfeilerhallee), which was renovated a few years ago in its original bright colours.

The surrounding area is just as colourful, with the architecture developing vertically:

But there are also some non-art deco architectural features, such as the main staircase, whose windows were designed by a Bauhaus architect (Josef Albers). These too were destroyed during the war and restored to their former glory between 2011 and 2015.