Jessica Soulliere next to an illuminated painting shown at one of the gallery's very few exhibits back in 2011.
Jessica Soulliere next to an illuminated painting shown at one of the gallery's very few exhibits back in 2011.
Home > Galleries > Detroit > Kunsthalle Detroit
211 Congress, Suite 330
Detroit MI 48226
5001 W. Grand RiverDetroit MI 48208
As of 2013, there was only one art gallery devoted to light-based art in North America, and that was the Kunsthalle Detroit. However, the Kunsthalle was more like a black box. If you showed up at the announced time, you were likely to be confused by the apparent lack of activity in the building, until someone opened a side door from inside. Then in 2014, with no new exhibits taking place, rumors flew that the Kunsthalle was done with, but there was no official confirmation.
When art consultant Tate Osten bought the building, formerly a bank, she shrewdly took advantage of Americorps volunteer labor to make the space suitable for exhibitions. But in the end, did Osten simply lose interest in the project, or did the effort needed to bring the building up to code prove to be too much? We can only speculate.
So is the Kunsthalle Detroit closed for good? Lots of people think so, but the gallery's online presence as of September 2015 did not give any clear indication either way. Then there were some stirrings in 2019. Going into 2020, the answer is still... inconclusive.
On November 4, 2014, the gallery's Facebook page announced an exhibit titled From Robert Mapplethorpe to Wolfgang Tillmans, with a date "TBA." After that there were more postings on the page but nothing pertaining to the Mapplethorpe-Tillmans exhibit. It seems to be the art world equivalent of vaporware.
After a post on February 2, 2015, the Kunsthalle was silent on Facebook for more than a year, until posting on February 21, 2016 declared that the "administrative address" is the Congress Street address listed above. The Kunsthalle's official website also lists this address, but whether there will be any exhibitions at this or some other address is pure speculation at this point.
As far as I can recall, there were only two formal exhibits and one special event (connected to the Detroit Design Festival). The gallery's website lists seven exhibitions, with the most recent one dating back to 2013.
By the way, you'll see the Kunsthalle referred to as a "museum" rather than a "gallery." From what little I know about the Kunsthalle, I'm more inclined to call it a gallery. But if the Kunsthalle really is permanently closed, the distinction is quite irrelevant.
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