The Art Lover's Guide to Munich

Tobias Sirtl at the Lenbachhaus. © Lenbachhaus.

Munich is looking back on a long tradition of passionate art patronage and collecting. Already in the early 15th and 16th centuries, Wilhelm IV and Maximilian I commissioned works by Albrecht Altdorfer and Peter Paul Rubens. Now, these masterworks build the foundation of Munich’s Alte Pinakothek. The museum houses one of the largest collections of Old Master paintings, including the worldwide most extensive collection of Old German paintings, among them Albrecht Dürer’s famous Selbstbildnis im Pelzrock (Self-Portrait with Fur Coat). The collection of early Dutch paintings is one of the most exquisite, with works by Rogier van der Weyden, Jan van Eyck, and Hieronymus Bosch. Of course, the Italian, French and Spanish masters are also present with important works by Leonardo da Vinici, Sandro Botticelli, Raffael and Titian, Nicolas Poussin, Francois Boucher, and Jean-Honoré Fragonard, El Greco and Velázquez, among many others.

In 1853, Ludwig I opened in Munich the first museum of modern, that is, contemporary art, worldwide, the Neue Pinakothek. Starting with the concentration on the Munich School and German Romanticism, the collection has been widely extended since and now includes works from Francisco de Goya and Jacques-Louis David to Vincent van Gogh and Paul Cézanne.

In the 1960s, Munich gallerists Heiner Friedrich and Franz Dahlem introduced the local public to many artists who were unknown in Germany at the time: Cy Twombly, Dan Flavin, Walter de Maria, John Chamberlain, and Carl Andre, among others. Joseph Beuys, Sigmar Polke, and Gerhard Richter also had exhibitions at Friedrich & Dahlem in their early careers. It was also thanks to Heiner Friedrichs visionary approach to art that the Dia Art Foundation in New York was initiated, as well.

1. PINAKOTHEK DER MODERNE / MUSEUM BRANDHORST

© Pinakothek der Moderne and the Museum Brandhorst.

The Pinakothek der Moderne and the Museum Brandhorst complete the Bavarian State Collections of Art to the now. With four major museums under one roof, the Pinakothek der Moderne is one of the largest museums in the world for art, architecture, and design of the 20th and 21st centuries. Right next door, the Museum Brandhorst houses two important work complexes by Andy Warhol and Cy Twombly, in addition to works by Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, Mike Kelley, Bruce Naumann, Damien Hirst, and many more. While visiting the Pinakothek der Moderne and the Museum Brandhorst, don’t miss Walter De Maria’s Large Red Sphere, which is housed in the Türkentor, a small building located between the two institutions.

2. LENBACHHAUS

© Lenbachhaus: The show with Etel Adnan is now open until 23 February, 2023.

It's just a short walk to another one of my favorite museums in Munich, the Lenbachhaus. This internationally renowned institution collects 19th century art, the art of the Blue Rider, the New Objectivity, and, above all, international contemporary art. Exceptionally curated temporary exhibitions in the past included shows by Sheela Gowda, Senga Nengudi and Maria Eichwald. The Lenbachhaus also has the most beautiful museum garden I know of. At the end of October 2022, the Lenbachhaus opened the first comprehensive retrospective of Etel Adnan’s oeuvre in Germany, which runs until 23 February, 2023.

3. HAUS DER KUNST

© Haus der Kunst.

Haus der Kunst has a troubled history. More than any other museum, the institution has made its mark on the histories of modern art historiography. It was built in the 1930s to serve as a vehicle for National Socialist cultural propaganda and the party’s leading art institution. After the war, Haus der Kunst became an important venue for featuring avant-garde works – like Picassos Guernica in 1955 – and thus a counterbalance to its defamatory stance during the Third Reich. Today, Haus der Kunst is a key global center for contemporary art. Currently on view is a comprehensive solo exhibition by performance, video, and installation artist Joan Jonas. At the back of the building, a large terrasse opens towards the English Garden, where you can enjoy a coffee break at the Goldene Bar or some of the best cocktails in town in the evening.

4. KUNSTVEREIN MÜNCHEN

© Kunstverein München.

The Kunstverein München was founded in 1823, not only to present contemporary art, but above all to create a place of social exchange where a critical awareness of how "contemporaneity" can develop through active engagement with contemporary art. Being one of the oldest, and, with around 1.400 members, largest institution of its kind in Germany, this is still the central notion of the Kunstverein München today.

5. SAMMLUNG GOETZ

© Sammlung Goetz.

The Sammlung Goetz was founded in 1993 by the collector Ingvild Goetz. Today it includes more than 5000 works focusing on Arte Povera, American painting of the 1980s, Young British Artists, media art, photography, and works on paper. Since its founding, the collection has reflected the entire spectrum of social identities and sexual orientations in both its acquisitions and its exhibitions, committing to equality, respect, and empowerment in society. In 2014, Ingvild Goetz donated part of her collection and the exhibition building, which was the first exhibition building by Herzog & de Meuron, to the State of Bavaria.

6. VARIOUS OTHERS

Every year around the second weekend of September, Various Others, an initiative of Munich galleries, institutions, and project spaces, begins and runs for one month. Starting with an exciting weekend of exhibition openings, talks, and events, the aim of the initiative is not only to further the exchange between private, municipal, and state institutions, but also internationally, via exchange exhibition projects with international partner institutions. This is a perfect time to explore and enjoy the exciting Munich gallery scene. Phillips is a proud sponsor of the Various Others Social Club conversation and artist talk series.