With its roots in the 1817 will of merchant Johann Friedrich Städel and the founding of his ‘Städelsches Kunstinstitut’, the modern Städelschule has in recent decades become a pedagogic powerhouse, attracting an international roster of teachers and students, all committed to its distinctly critical teaching ethos and small student cohort (around 150).

Current teaching staff comprise a who’s who of European artworld talent – Douglas Gordon, Michael Krebber, Judith Hopf, Mark Leckey, Isabelle Graw, Wolfgang Tillmans… with Peter Fischli about to join. Incorporating Portikus, which has become a leading exhibition space in its own right, the Städelschule has become a model for the independent, influential teaching-and-exhibition centre. Nevertheless, the school is having to face a tough economic climate and is currently looking for a new director.