Next to the Roman-Germanic museum and the Cathedral, this museum of modern art exhibits Pop Art, Abstract and Surrealist works from the classical modernist era to the present day.
It was founded in 1976 after art collectors and chocolatiers, Peter and Irene Ludwig, donated 350 works of modern art on the condition that Cologne would build a museum for them. In 1986 a building was completed for both the Wallraf-Richartz and Ludwig museums. But, in 1994, the two institutions were divided and the Wallraf-Richartz museum was moved to a new location. Exhibits include the world’s largest collection of American Pop Art outside America, and the third largest collection of Picasso’s works.