KiCo Foundation

The KiCo Foundation was established in December 2009 by a collector couple who started collecting young contemporary art fifteen years ago and who, from the very outset, sought to build lasting collaborative relationships with public museums. The works acquired were not intended to form a private collection, but rather to be made available to a museum as permanent loans and ensure that they will be regularly presented to the public. A close partnership with the Kunstmuseum Bonn had been in place since the mid-1990s; and with the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich since the late 1990s. Decisions regarding the selection and acquisition of artworks are made in direct dialogue with the directors and curators of both institutions, always with careful consideration of a meaningful and viable expansion of their respective collections.

In its selection of contemporary positions, the KiCo Collection focuses on art that engages with the dissolution of physical presence into light and color. In addition to purchasing individual works, the Foundation also acquires complete groups of works or conceptions for entire rooms designed to provide in-depth insight into an artist’s oeuvre. In this regard, the collectors' intentions are in concord with the plans both museums have for their collections.

The KiCo Foundation provides substantial support to both the Lenbachhaus and the Kunstmuseum Bonn, enabling them to continue pursuing their distinctive collection policies in the years ahead.

Another significant step was taken on October 31, 2025, when the Foundation's Board resolved to include the Kunsthalle Bielefeld as a third partner museum in this privileged collaboration, starting in 2026. This amendment to the statute became legally effective on June 3, 2026. This decision expands the scope of the KiCo Foundation's activities and makes its collection accessible to an even broader audience.

The KiCo Foundation currently includes the following artists:
Franz Ackermann
Josef Albers
Monica Bonvicini
Angela Bulloch
David Claerbout
Thomas Demand
Inge Dick
Ólafur Elíasson
Isa Genzken
Katharina Grosse
Wade Guyton
Fritz Klemm
Sol Lewitt
Michel Majerus
Gerhard Richter
Wolfgang Tillmans
Ignacio Uriarte
 

The Kunsthalle Bielefeld is currently presenting works from the KiCo Collection and the KiCo Foundation in a temporary exhibition:

“Will You Go Out With Me?” (October 17, 2026 – February 21, 2027)
 

Board

Prof. Dr Helmut Friedel (Chairman)
Dr Claudia Emmert (Vice-Chair and Director of the Kunstmuseum Bonn)
Doris Keller-Riemer
Dr Hans-Gerd Riemer
Dr Mathias Mühling (Director of the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus Munich)
Christina Vegh (Director of the Kunsthalle Bielefeld)

Office

Kurt Laube
Luisenstraße 33, 80333 Munich
email(at)kicostiftung.com