In this interview, museum founder Reinhard Ernst talks about his passion for non-representational art, the beginnings of the museum and why he believes that art has been part of our lives since childhood.

Why did you choose Wiesbaden as the location for the museum?
Reinhard Ernst: My wife was born in Wiesbaden and we have lived in the state capital for 25 years. So we are at home here. What could be better than being able to build a museum in your home town? After our original plans to build a museum for abstract art in Limburg - the location of my two companies - fell through, we were looking for a new location. We had been looking for a suitable location in Wiesbaden from an early stage. When a plot of land suddenly became available at Wilhelmstrasse 1 and a referendum was held to decide how it should be built on, it was obvious that we should get involved with our foundation and the museum project here.

What significance does abstract art have for you personally?
Reinhard Ernst: I am a color person, and I love to immerse myself in abstract works of art: to look at the application of color, to observe gestures and forms. What I particularly appreciate about abstract painting is that it doesn't give us any guidelines. Everyone can see and discover what they want. You can have a wonderful conversation about abstract art - it always offers something to talk about. For me, this type of art is highly democratic.

The museum building was designed by Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki - what do you have in common?
Reinhard Ernst: We met Fumihiko Maki many years ago at a birthday party of mutual friends in Tokyo. We liked each other straight away. After our first meeting, over the years I have visited many of his buildings in Japan with him. What sets him apart is his incredibly sophisticated design, which at the same time appears very restrained, almost simple. The consideration of "human architecture" is one of Maki's guiding principles. Many architects set themselves a monument with their buildings - not so Fumihiko Maki. He respects the client's wishes and refrains from flaunting his status. There is no such thing as a "MAKI building". This is where he differs from other great architects.

After the devastating tsunami that claimed countless lives in Japan, I contacted Maki. My wife and I wanted to help. We wanted to do more than just donate money. So, together with Fumihiko Maki, we built the House of Hope in Natori, a place that was badly affected by the seaquake. A district where many fishermen lived was simply washed away. Many children and grandparents were suddenly left alone. The House of Hope is a meeting place for children and elderly people. Maki was immediately willing to implement this project without any fee, that was our first collaboration, one that has kept us close ever since.

Back to Wiesbaden: What kind of building did you have in mind here?
Reinhard Ernst: The planning period for our museum took around three years. There were a number of specifications from the city that we took into account and which were ultimately taken for granted by our architect. The address at Wilhelmstrasse 1 is the starting point of the historic main thoroughfare into the city center. The museum was to enliven the corner and be built on the same site as the Grand Hotel Victoria, which was destroyed in the war. I wanted a modern, independent building that would blend in well with the historic buildings in the city center. Maki succeeded wonderfully.

How can people prepare for a visit to the mre?
Reinhard Ernst: You should be prepared for an art experience that is not an everyday occurrence. And you should try to let go of the idea that you can read or even understand a work. Abstract works of art present us with riddles. We don't have to solve them. Some works speak to us immediately - they evoke associations. I am moved by the sometimes incredible color gradients and often the juxtaposition of colors. The extraordinary color combinations of Helen Frankenthaler or the swirling dynamics of K.O. Götz. Abstraction gives me the freedom to see what I want to see. You can learn to see art in this way, regardless of education and age.

Which works should not be missed during a visit?
Reinhard Ernst: The building and the works of art form a total work of art. It's best to see everything at your leisure: Starting with the basement, where Mad C's Wandering Clouds transform the toilets into a walk-in work of art, through the four rooms of the special exhibition "Helen Frankenthaler moves Jenny Brosinski, Ina Gerken, Adrian Schiess", up to the 2nd floor, where our visitors can admire expansive reliefs by Frank Stella and large-format works by Toshimitsu Imai and Friedel Dzubas, among others.

The promotion of children plays a special role at mre ...
Reinhard Ernst: I myself had no contact with art as a child. Born shortly after the Second World War, I had a beautiful but also deprived childhood. There was no art either at home or at school. There was also no contact with museums, nobody had introduced me to them. I regret that very much today. So I only went to museums for the first time as an adult, mainly on Sundays when I had no business appointments. The art I saw - not just abstract art, this preference came later - moved me deeply. It then became my wish to enable young people to do what I was not allowed to do as a child.

I am also firmly convinced that our museum can awaken creativity in children. Creativity that we need more than ever in our country. We have an extensive program for children and young people - there is a children's tour in the Mediaguide for them, we offer various workshops and our color lab is very popular. All the offers can be found on our website in the Learn and Experience section.

What is your assessment after more than a year?
Reinhard Ernst: We have welcomed more than 200,000 visitors to the museum since it opened in June 2024. Some of them travel from far and wide to see our museum and the exhibitions. The fact that the museum has been so well received fills me with great joy. However, I am particularly pleased that we have welcomed almost 780 educational groups and around 10,500 children and young people under the age of 18 to our museum this year.