Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich is one of the most popular European modern and contemporary art museums.
The museum building, a design by architect Stephan Braunfels, was opened to the public in 2002, after 8 years of construction.
Dominating the building’s sharp angled facade are elements in white and grey shades…with highlights ranging from the large windows to the massive columns (that support an extended roof).
PHOTO: The museum facade, as seen from Barer Strasse, next to the Alte Pinakothek museum.
Each of the building’s four corners, connected by a central, round hall, have been dedicated to special collections:
- Art (Kunst),
- Architecture (Architektur),
- Design (Design), and
- Graphics (Graphik).
These collections, held until 2002 at the ‘Haus der Kunst’ (www.hausderkunst.de) museum in Munich, have rapidly expanded since 1945.
Today, the collections include artworks from the most important artistic schools of the 20th and 21st century, including:
- Expressionism,
- Fauvism,
- Cubism,
- New Objectivity,
- Bauhaus,
- Surrealism,
- Abstract Expressionism,
- Pop-Art, and
- Minimalism.
At the second level of the Pinakothek der Moderne museum, you can find works from such famous artists as…
- Georges Braque,
- Fernand Léger,
- Willem de Kooning,
- Joan Miró,
- Oskar Kokoschka,
- Andy Warhol,
- Giorgio de Chirico,
- Salvador Dalí, and
- Francis Bacon…
…plus, extensive collections of artworks from Pablo Picasso and Max Beckmann.
The museum is also famed for having one of the world’s best collections of German expressionism.
Artists represented by that collection include Franz Marc, August Macke, Paul Klee, Alexej von Jawlensky, and Wassily Kandinsky.
In addition to the paintings and sculptures, you can also find artworks ofvideo, photographs, and new media.
To balance out these newer forms of expression, the entrance floor to the museum has a collection of ‘old masters‘, including individual works from…
- Albrecht Dürer,
- Rembrandt,
- Michelangelo, and
- Leonardo da Vinci.
Highlights on the entrance floor also include Germany’s largest collection of architectural drawings, blueprints, photographs, and miniatures…
…from architects ranging from François de Cuvilliés, Balthasar Neumann, to Gottfried Semper, Le Corbusier, and Günther Behnisch.
Pinakothek der Moderne
Address: Barer Strasse 40, 80333 Munich, Germany
Official website: Pinakothek.de/pinakothek-der-moderne/
After touring the museum, there’s a museum cafe, Cafe 48|8, and a museum shop (www.cedon.de) for gifts and souvenirs.