»I want to fight for more equality and justice, human equality, human justice. By doing my artist’s work politically, by asking myself questions politically and not by asking political questions, and by doing political work with meaning.«
Thomas Hirschhorn
The real estate entrepreneur Florian Peters-Messer, who comes from Viersen on the Lower Rhine, acquired his first works of art in the mid-1990s. At that time, artists such as the Swiss Thomas HIRSCHHORN or the Dutch Erik VAN LIESHOUT opened up a world of critically analyzing reality that was largely unknown to him. To this day, this constitutes the core of the Peters-Messer collection. Its focus lies on sociopolitical, psychological and sociological issues.
In addition to key figures of current contemporary art world such as John BOCK, Sophie CALLE, Thomas HIRSCHHORN, Leiko IKEMURA, Erik VAN LIESHOUT, Bjarne MELGAARD, Amy SILLMAN, Vivian SUTER or David WOJNAROWICZ, the collection focuses on young, emerging positions such as Sophie GOGL, Oska GUTHEIL, Harry HACHMEISTER, Marc HENRY, Bianca KENNEDY, Kris LEMSALU, Henrike NAUMANN, Jaanus SAMMA, Sophia SÜSSMILCH and Nicholas WARBURG. The collection currently comprises more than 400 works from the media of painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, installation and video art.
The Peters-Messer Collection had its first museum appearance in 2018 in the Weserburg in Bremen. Entitled “What Paradise?”, the exhibition presented over 50 works from the collection that took up the social upheavals of our time in a critical, often oppressive way. Further collection presentations and exhibition participation followed in 2019 in the Werkschauhalle of the Leipzig Spinnerei and in the Kunstverein Ruhr. A major exhibition at the Marburger Kunstverein and the Kunstmuseum Marburg took place in the spring of 2022. In 2024 Florian Peters-Messer gifted most of his collection to the Kunstpalast Düsseldorf. To celebrate his donation, the museum hosted an extensive exhibition entitled "Too Much Future" (2024/2025).
In addition to his work as a collector, Florian Peters-Messer also acts as a curator, most recently for the exhibitions “Outrage! Art in Times of Anger” in Düsseldorf's Kunstpalast (2020/21), "Where are we now. Highlights of the Miettinen Collection" at Philara in Düsseldorf (2025) as well as "We Will Look Into the Earth. Works from the Miettinen Collection" at Taidehalli in Helsinki (2025).
In addition to key figures of current contemporary art world such as John BOCK, Sophie CALLE, Thomas HIRSCHHORN, Leiko IKEMURA, Erik VAN LIESHOUT, Bjarne MELGAARD, Amy SILLMAN, Vivian SUTER or David WOJNAROWICZ, the collection focuses on young, emerging positions such as Sophie GOGL, Oska GUTHEIL, Harry HACHMEISTER, Marc HENRY, Bianca KENNEDY, Kris LEMSALU, Henrike NAUMANN, Jaanus SAMMA, Sophia SÜSSMILCH and Nicholas WARBURG. The collection currently comprises more than 400 works from the media of painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, installation and video art.
The Peters-Messer Collection had its first museum appearance in 2018 in the Weserburg in Bremen. Entitled “What Paradise?”, the exhibition presented over 50 works from the collection that took up the social upheavals of our time in a critical, often oppressive way. Further collection presentations and exhibition participation followed in 2019 in the Werkschauhalle of the Leipzig Spinnerei and in the Kunstverein Ruhr. A major exhibition at the Marburger Kunstverein and the Kunstmuseum Marburg took place in the spring of 2022. In 2024 Florian Peters-Messer gifted most of his collection to the Kunstpalast Düsseldorf. To celebrate his donation, the museum hosted an extensive exhibition entitled "Too Much Future" (2024/2025).
In addition to his work as a collector, Florian Peters-Messer also acts as a curator, most recently for the exhibitions “Outrage! Art in Times of Anger” in Düsseldorf's Kunstpalast (2020/21), "Where are we now. Highlights of the Miettinen Collection" at Philara in Düsseldorf (2025) as well as "We Will Look Into the Earth. Works from the Miettinen Collection" at Taidehalli in Helsinki (2025).