47m Invites is a long-term exhibition series that invites international guest curators to develop curatorial concepts in collaboration with 47m. The program fosters dialogue between different curatorial approaches while creating connections across artistic, cultural, and geographic contexts.
As an interdisciplinary platform, 47m Circles provides space for performative, cinematic, literary, and musical formats, as well as for readings and screenings that take place independently of the exhibitions.
(Members, children and youth up to 18 years, Leipzig Pass holders, ICOM members, accompanying persons of people with disabilities)
Accessibility information
The elevator takes you to the lower dome room on the 6th floor. The upper dome room and the restrooms are currently not wheelchair accessible.
About 47m Contemporary
Founded in 2023, the Kunstverein 47m Contemporary is an exhibition platform for both established and emerging international voices in contemporary art. The association is dedicated to presenting critical artistic perspectives that engage with urgent questions of our time. In doing so, it sees itself as a platform for intergenerational and interdisciplinary dialogue.
With three annual solo or group exhibitions, the artistic focus lies on time-based media such as video, sound, installation, and performance, as well as the development of site-specific new productions. These formats are accompanied by a diverse range of collaborations and events.
47m is located in the listed Wünschmann-Haus in Leipzig’s Südvorstadt district. The building was constructed between 1914 and 1917 based on the design by Leipzig architect Georg Wünschmann. The exhibition spaces extend across the top two floors, reaching up to the domed hall situated 47 meters above street level.
History of the Building
The building was constructed between 1913 and 1917 as an association and administrative headquarters for the Association of German Commercial Employees. According to contemporary opinion, architect Georg Wünschmann created the “canon of the modern commercial palace,” crowned by a monumental dome (47 meters) housing a domed hall. This dome is visible from many parts of Leipzig and is a defining feature of the city’s skyline. The monument map of Saxony notes that the sculpted heads on the façade are intended to allegorically represent trade and commerce. The 92-metre-wide representative shell limestone façade, with its calm articulation and six fluted columns in colossal order, also bears the building inscription. Due to wartime delays, the exterior was completed in 1916. At that time, the building also housed the administration of the Great Leipzig Tramway, later the Leipzig Transport Authority. From 1917/1919 onwards, it additionally accommodated a war economy museum and later a national economy museum. Directly behind it, in the courtyard, is the associated printing house of the association, built at the same time.
During the National Socialist era, the building served as the foreign exchange office (Devisenstelle), which monitored and initiated the confiscation of Jewish property, operating at the intersection of administration and the practical enforcement of expropriation. This was documented in the project and guided tour “Exclusion, Persecution, Expropriation – Involvement of Leipzig Institutions under National Socialism” by the Leipzig City History Museum. Other sites, such as the New Town Hall as the seat of municipal authorities and administration, and the auction house Hans Klemm (Große Fleischergasse 19), were also involved in the expropriation and auctioning of Jewish property.
In 1946, the building was taken over by the Free German Trade Union Federation (FDGB), which developed into the largest mass organisation in the GDR with around nine million members by 1990. Despite its name, the FDGB was not independent; it was subordinate to the Socialist Unity Party (SED) and served primarily to secure its political control.
Until 1993, a post office was located in the central section behind the entrance hall. After 1990, the building was acquired by a company from Baden-Württemberg and extensively renovated in the mid-1990s. As with many buildings in Leipzig, it is also privately owned by West German investors. Since then, 25 high-quality residential units have been created in the building. In 2013, the Leipzig public transport authority moved to a new administrative building, followed by another change of ownership two years later.
After several years of vacancy, 47m Contemporary has been permanently located in the dome of the Wünschmann-Haus since June 2024.
Erik Swars
Curator and Head of Production, First Chairperson of the Board
Paula Rüschel
Managing Director and Finance, Member of the Advisory Board
Miriam Schmidt
Press and Public Relations, Member of the Advisory Board
Hannah Lüken
Curatorial Assistant
Finn Hampel
Production and Finance
Matthias Brühl
Treasurer and Member of the Advisory Board
Hanna Thuma
Art Education
Janika Jähnisch
Curator and Project Management, Second Chairperson of the Board
Yana Kadykova
Curator and Project Management
Arto Schudy
Curatorial Assistant
Anica Kehr
Communications and Production, Member of the Advisory Board
(from left to right)
Not in the image:
Henning Penske-Chigir
Sponsorship and Website
Steffen Woyth
Strategic Consulting and Member of the Advisory Board
The statutes define our goals and principles, as well as the rights and obligations of our members. The current version is available here as a PDF for download.
The controller responsible for the processing of personal data in connection with this website is the person named in the legal notice (Imprint).
When you visit this website, the hosting provider processes technically necessary connection data (e.g. IP address, date and time of access, browser information). This is required solely to ensure the provision and security of the website. The art association does not use this data for analytics or advertising purposes.
Memberships and donations
If you apply for membership or make a donation via this website, we process the personal data you voluntarily provide, in particular your name, address, email address, and, if applicable, banking details. This data is used exclusively for managing memberships, collecting membership fees, processing donations, and fulfilling legal obligations.
Data submitted through forms is transmitted to the association via email and stored for the duration of the membership or in accordance with statutory retention periods. Once the purpose of processing no longer applies, the data will be deleted unless legal retention obligations require otherwise.
Newsletter
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External links
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Your rights
You have the right to access information about your personal data stored by us, as well as the right to rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, and objection to processing in accordance with statutory provisions.
47m e.V. / 47m Contemporary
Wünschmann House Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 12 04107 Leipzig, Germany
Opening hours: Wednesday and Friday: 3–8 pm, Saturday: 1–6 pm Individual visits by appointment info@47m.info
Founding members: Matthias Brühl, Janika Jähnisch, Anica Kehr, Paula Rüschel, Miriam Schmidt, Erik Swars, Steffen Woyth
1st Chairperson: Erik Swars 2nd Chairperson: Janika Jähnisch
Register court: Local Court Leipzig Registration number: VR8064
Website Concept & Design: Arto Schudy Development: Uma Grotrian-Steinweg Thank you @ Intermediale Gestaltung
Bank details: GLS Bank 47M e.V. IBAN: DE65430609671333638001
Liability notice: We assume no liability for the content of external links. The operators of linked websites are solely responsible for their content. At the time of linking, the content was checked for possible legal violations.
Copyright: Reproduction, editing, distribution, and any form of use require the permission of the respective artist. Downloads and copies of this site are permitted for private, non-commercial use only.
Regular membership benefits at a glance:
Free admission to all exhibitions and accompanying events
Personal invitations to exhibition openings and exclusive related events
Regular updates on developments and news from the art association
Discounts on selected editions and merchandise items
Participation and voting rights at the annual general members’ meetings
Support us!
In addition to becoming a member, there is also the option to support our association’s work with a donation. In doing so, you help fund future projects and events and support us in maintaining 47m as a vibrant place for encounters and exchange.
Donations are tax-deductible. We are happy to issue a donation receipt for this purpose. Please contact buchhaltung@47m.info for this option.
Overview of current and past project funders:
Brazilian Embassy Galerie Esther Schipper Gangart Werbung GmbH Guimarães-Rosa Institute Berlin Karin und Uwe Hollweg Foundation Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen Kulturamt der Stadt Leipzig Landesdirektion Sachsen Leipzig Stiftung Let’s Dev/Kortpress (Link) Montis Real Estate Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung Ulmer Verein Winzervereinigung Freyburg-Unstrut eG
The spaces of the art association 47m Contemporary are available for rental for events. Rental is only possible during the installation periods between exhibitions and outside regular opening hours.
For inquiries regarding availability, pricing, or additional images of the venue, please contact: event@47m.info
Available spaces
Lower dome room
Size: 160 m²
Capacity: 70 people
Upper dome room
Size: 120 m²
Capacity: 80 people
Sanitary facilities are available
General information
Rental fees are determined individually based on the type and duration of the event as well as the spaces used. Cleaning costs are included. Technical equipment can be provided upon request; type and scope are agreed individually and charged separately as a technical rental fee plus a deposit. All conditions and agreements are set out in a written contract.
Please note: Events must end no later than 10:00 pm.
