Dear Ulli, after more than 40 years, you’re planning to gradually step back from your family business, Mestemacher GmbH. An impressive career lies behind you – not only have you led the company’s communications, PR and sales departments, but you've also raised two children, become a grandmother, and earned the title of Professor Dr. Detmers (Department of Business Administration). Now, you’re ready for a quieter professional life. Do you already have a plan for your ‘new’ chapter?

Yes (laughs). First of all, I’m looking forward to a peaceful time with my beloved Albert, with whom I’ll celebrate 50 years of marriage next year. We both have a deep love for culture and the arts. As we now begin to have more time for our private life, I want to continue developing our personal art collection. To that end, we’re planning to visit many exhibitions and art events for further inspiration. This year, our own private museum has been completed – located in the Johannisthal area of Bielefeld – and I’m already planning numerous cultural and artistic events there, which I’m very much looking forward to.

That sounds exciting. So, there will be more time in the future for your husband, for art, and for the beautiful things in life. Not everyone has their own private art museum – that’s really quite special. How did that idea come about, and how long have you been involved with art?

I earned the money for my very first artwork in 1974, working at the bakery of my future father-in-law. I had just finished school and took on a holiday job. I had seen the artwork in the private home of a well-known art professor from Bielefeld. When I asked him if it was for sale, he offered it to me at a special price, knowing I didn’t have much money. It was to cost me 500 Marks. I bought the piece after my holiday job and gave it to my great love – and later husband – Albert, as a gift.

How romantic! So there are two great loves that have accompanied you through your life – Albert and art. How did the idea of a shared private museum come about?

There’s a particular painter we’ve supported and collected for many years – and who’s now become a friend – Ippazio Fracasso. He told us about a more than 100-year-old Art Nouveau villa in Johannisthal, Bielefeld, which was up for sale. Initially, we visited the property with the idea of exploring it purely as an investment. But from the very first viewing, I fell in love with the house. We bought it soon after. During the renovation process, the idea emerged to place a large part of our art collection there and to turn the house into a private centre for art and culture. We preserved the lovingly crafted original interiors from the 1920s, including some beautiful built-in furnishings. We see them as a cultural legacy of exceptional interior design from that era – and they’ve now become part of our broader concept for art and cultural promotion. Since 2024, the villa – together with our exhibited works – has been fully completed.

Are there general opening hours for the public, or how does your concept work?

No, there aren’t. In addition to our private art collection, we also select artists and offer them the opportunity to present their work temporarily in our rooms. We use easels, for example, to showcase these additional exhibits. These special exhibitions are introduced through exclusive vernissages, by invitation only. We have our own mailing list of art enthusiasts and friends, which is selectively expanded over time.

It sounds like you and Albert have a wonderful time ahead, and there’s certainly no chance of getting bored in your home region of East Westphalia. Are you also planning to travel more in the future?

Absolutely. We’re especially drawn to cities with strong cultural and artistic scenes – Paris, Florence, London, Vienna… Speaking of Vienna: our next big private celebration will be our 50th wedding anniversary in the winter of 2025, which we’re planning to celebrate in Vienna with family, friends, and a surprise entertainment. We’re really looking forward to it. Boredom will certainly never be a part of our lives (laughs).

Albert, Ulrike, Fritz and Helma Detmers took over Mestemacher GmbH in Gütersloh in 1985. Their two children, Christine and Albert Hendrik, were born in 1980 and 1983 respectively. In 1994, Ulrike Detmers became a professor of Business Administration at the University of Applied Sciences in Bielefeld. She established several awards: the Mestemacher “Nursery of the Year” award in 2000, the “Female Manager of the Year” in 2002, the “Top Father of the Year” in 2005, and the “Living Together” award in 2017.

The photos show Prof. Dr. Ulrike Detmers in the family’s private art museum – a 1920s Art Nouveau villa – where she enjoys spending a few days each week with her husband. For an extra touch of comfort and style, she likes to wear a silk dressing gown from MyMorgenrock while there.