Leonie Reygers (1905–1985) is regarded as an important figure in post-war German cultural life, not only in Dortmund, but far beyond. She was the founding director and longtime head of the Museum am Ostwall in Dortmund, which is now home to the Baukunstarchiv NRW. A pioneer in art education, she was also an ambassador for modern art.
Under her leadership, the museum developed a wide range of exhibitions from 1949 onward that combined regional identity with universal themes. In the process, a postwar museum of 20th-century art was systematically established. Thanks to her efforts, Dortmund gained a cultural identity that shaped not only the museum, but also urban life.
This publication celebrates the 120th anniversary of Reygers’s birth and the 75th anniversary of the Museum am Ostwall, which she founded. The book presents an extraordinary woman—a museum director, curator, and cultural mediator—and her work and groundbreaking exhibitions. It also aims to invite critical discourse and exchange.