The pattern collection of the Museum of Applied Art Cologne is a component of the museum’s comprehensive Graphics Collection. It was built up with the founding of the Cologne Arts and Crafts Museum, the MAKK’s predecessor institution, in 1888.
This collection comprises approx. 25,000 illustrations from the Middle Ages into the 19th century: photographs, prints or excerpts from publications of primarily handcrafted objects of all genres, but also of historical buildings, city views, landscapes, interiors, expeditions, botanical motifs or depictions of animals. Likewise represented are the fields of painting, sculpture and graphic design. The objects are kept in chronological order in archive boxes. The pattern collection of the MAKK is akin to an all-art-genres-encompassing illustrated art history encyclopaedia.
In conjunction with the ornamental engravings collection and the museum’s exhibits, the pattern collection was used as illustrative and study material for architects, artists, artisans and craftsmen and for the cultivation of taste among the general public.
MAKK - Museum of Applied Art Cologne
An der Rechtschule 7
50667 Cologne
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Archives & Collections
Photography has a rich and varied history in the Cologne area. This is evidenced by the numerous photo collections in art museums and photographic archives, ranging from classical picture archives to private and corporate archives. In the Artist Meets Archive programme, the hidden treasures within these institutions are revived.
The collaboration between the archives and participating artists results in exhibition projects that are presented as part of the Photoszene Festival. Here, the archive becomes the site of an artistic debate and focuses on local photographic history as well as casting a global perspective on the medium of photography.