2025-10-30
‘We never stop smelling,’ says Robert Müller-Grünow, curator of the exhibition ‘Die geheime Macht der Düfte’ (‘The Secret Power of Scents’) at the Museum Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf.
Yesterday, October 29th, was the opening day. Müller-Grünow, who specialises in perfume marketing, has taken an experimental approach to exhibiting fragrances. They are intended to tell their own history through the centuries, and are displayed in various ways: some pleasant scents are sprayed throughout the room, while others can be smelled voluntarily at designated stations.
The curator's vision is to treat fragrances in a similar way to paintings or sculptures, which are specifically arranged in the space, sometimes strategically placed alongside other works, and sometimes focusing the viewer's attention entirely on themselves.
According to museum director Felix Krämer, the exhibition on scents is intended to attract new audiences to the museum.
However innovative the concept may be, this focus on interactive elements and the relegation of fine arts to the background is part of an international trend. Some museums and other cultural institutions are trying to become spaces that do not require any particular knowledge of art history, or even offer any contact with art. Instead, they encourage visitors to purchase an experience.
In the case of Kunstpalast, this effort is hardly surprising. Its main sponsor used to be E.ON, which had a say in management and financing issues. As Welt pointed out, this situation was unprecedented in Germany. For a long time, Kunstpalast was funded both privately and by the city.
A few years ago, however, E.ON withdrew from the partnership. Today, Kunstpalast is supported by a foundation and continues to collaborate with companies that sponsor exhibitions. The creation of ‘The Secret Power of Scents’ was made possible, for example, by companies such as T-mobile and Flaconi, an online cosmetics supplier.