Munich has, for centuries, furnished its reputation as a European arts hub. Home to a number of prominent artists, writers and publishing houses, the city today hosts dozens of top galleries, museums and other art centers. We’ve narrowed down Munich’s offerings to five unmissable destinations for art lovers.
Haus der Kunst literally translates to “house of art,” and Munich’s Haus der Kunst specializes in modern and contemporary works. As an institution, it wasn’t always so progressive: Founded by the Third Reich to display government-approved German art, it was taken over by the American military after the war. These days, Haus der Kunst hosts popular temporary exhibitions, including retrospectives of era-defining artists like Richard Artschwager and Lorna Simpson.
The Neue Pinakothek is housed within a stark, 1980s-built structure in Munich’s Kunstareal, the city’s thriving arts district. With a focus on 18th and 19th century European art, the museum’s collection comprises more than 400 paintings, including important pieces by the German Romantics and the French Impressionists. Visitors flock to the institution to catch a glimpse of Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, as well as canvases by Edouard Manet, Paul Cézanne and Claude Monet.
Also based in the Kunstareal, the Museum Brandhorst first opened its doors to visitors in 2009. Featuring more than 700 works hailing from the personal collection of Henkel trust heirs Udo Fritz-Hermann and Anette Brandhorst, the collection largely draws from the 20th century. Home to Europe’s largest selection of American artist Cy Twombly’s work, Museum Brandhorst also displays pieces by Joseph Beuys, Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst.
Occupying a former Prussian embassy building, Sammlung Schack’s collection is essential viewing for anyone interested in Germany’s artistic heritage. Curated by Count von Schack, a 19th century patron and collector, the museum’s collection has gone unchanged since his death in 1894. More than 180 paintings by German artists hang on the walls, and there’s a focus on late Romanticism in 19th century Germany. Also on show is a range of masterpieces from the Venetian Renaissance.
Munich’s Lenbachhaus reopened in mid-2013 after four years of extensive renovations. Housed in a Florentine-style villa that was originally commissioned for painter Franz von Lenbach, Lenbachhaus brings together 19th and 20th century paintings, including local works by the Blaue Reiter (Blue Rider) art collective. Other highlights include pieces by Andy Warhol and German painter Franz Ackermann.
(Main image: © Rob124)
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