The publicly accessible library of the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen is a research facility specializing in the art of the 20th and 21st centuries. The inventory of 135.000 volumes encompasses monographs, exhibition, inventory, raisonné catalogues, museum and gallery publications, reference works, professional reviews and audiovisual media. One focus of the collection is on current exhibition catalogues from both Germany and abroad.

In summer 2010, the library was named after Werner Schmalenbach, a longtime director of the Kunstsammlung. The library’s wide-ranging core inventory can be traced back to his commitment and expertise. The library’s recent expansion and the raising of its acquisitions budget was made possible by Gesellschaft der Freunde (Society of Friends) of the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen.

The Werner Schmalenbach Library is a reference library and is accessible to users without advanced registration. It is a cooperation partner of the Düsseldorf libraries. You can find the online catalog of the Düsseldorf libraries here.