The Museum District comprises three major museums:
the Alte Pinakothek, the Neue Pinakothek, and the Pinakothek der
Moderne. Nearby is the Glyptothek, the State Collection of Antiquities,
and Lenbachhaus. The Alte Pinakothek was founded by Ludwig I, designed
by Leo von Klenze, and opened in 1836. It houses the collections of
Bavarian dukes, electors, and kings, as well as the treasures of
dissolved monasteries. Today, the museum holds priceless masterpieces of
14th- to 18th-century art.
Alte Pinakothek
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Barer Str. 27
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089 23 805 216
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U2 Theresienstraße, Tram 27
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www.pinakothek.de
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Open 10am–6pm Tue–Sun (until 8pm Tue); closed some hols
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Adm: €5.50 (reduced €4); Sun €1
Neue Pinakothek
Pinakothek der Moderne
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Barer Str. 40
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089 23 805 360
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U2: Theresienstraße, Tram 27
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www.pinakothek.de
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Open 10am–6pm Tue–Sun (until 8pm Thu & Fri); closed some hols
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Adm: €9.50 (reduced €6); Sun €1
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The Alte Pinakothek’s
collections are housed on two floors. German painting up to 1500 is
located on the ground floor. On the first floor, German painting after
1500, Old Dutch Masters, Italian Renaissance painting, 17th-century
French, Flemish, and Dutch painting, and a somewhat smaller Spanish
collection are on display. More than 700 works of art are on view in the
museum’s 19 main rooms and 47 side galleries. The cafeteria and a
bookshop are also located on the ground floor.
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Floorplan of the Alte Pinakothek
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The English-style Café Klenze opened in 2005 in the Alte Pinakothek. It serves cakes and gateaux.
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Audio guides are sometimes included in the admission price.
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An annual pass for all three Pinakothek museums costs €70 (a €40 saving).
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The Alte Pinakothek was largely reconstructed after World War II.
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Top 10 Paintings
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Battle of Alexander at Issus
Altdorfer’s 1529 painting depicts the decisive moment of Alexander the Great’s victory over the Persian King Darius.
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Deposition from the Cross
Dramatic
lighting characterizes Rembrandt’s 1633 masterpiece. It is exhibited in
the Dutch painting collection, which also features landscapes and other
works.
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Land of Cockaigne
Breughel,
the most famous representative of the Flemish School, offers a
satirical depiction of gluttony and idleness. This piece is part of a
section also housing a large collection of Rubens’ paintings.
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Pietà
Sandro
Botticelli’s 1495 painting captivates the viewer with its rich red hues
and strong contrasts. It is one of the masterpieces in the Italian
painting section.
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Portrait of Karl V
In 1548, the Italian painter Titian created this portrait of Emperor Karl V on the occasion of the Reichstag of Augsburg (1547).
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The Rape of the Daughters of Leukippos
Rubens’ 1618 high Baroque masterpiece.
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Portrait of Willem van Heythuisen
Hals’
magnificent painting (1625–30) is an outstanding example of Dutch
portraiture. The collection includes landscapes and other works.
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Disrobing of Christ
El Greco created this sombre work between 1585 and 1608. It is part of the small yet exquisite collection of Spanish paintings.
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Four Apostles
The
Albrecht Dürer collection documents the development of the artist from
his Self-Portrait in Fur Coat (1500) to the Four Apostles (1526),
painted two years before his death.
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Adoration of the Magi
The late Gothic work by Holbein the Elder from 1502 is one part of the Eight Scenes from the Kaisheimer altar.
Neue & Pinakothek der Moderne
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Neptune’s Horses
In this 1892 painting, Walter Crane fuses Pre-Raphaelite expression with Art Nouveau and Symbolist influences.
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The Poor Poet
Carl Spitzweg’s famous 1839 painting captures the spirit of the Biedermeier period.
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Boys on the Beach
Dating
from 1898, this work by Max Liebermann exemplifies the preoccupation of
German Impressionists with capturing the play of light in their work.
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Breakfast in the Studio
Edouard
Manet’s painting from 1868 – a seminal work of strong light and dark
contrasts that heralds the beginning of Impressionism – is one of the
highlights of the Neue Pinakothek.
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Play of the Waves
Arnold
Böcklin’s oeuvre was heavily inspired by classical mythological themes.
This work from 1883 depicts water nymphs, mermaids, and sea gods in a
subtly erotic Neo-Baroque manner.
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The Classic Modern Collection
The
museum’s collection is divided into two principal sections. The Classic
Modern encompasses the period up to 1960 and features works by
Kirchner, Nolde, Braque, Picasso, Klee, Beckmann, and others.
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The Contemporary Art Collection
This
section documents the art scene from 1960 onward and includes works by
Beuys, Baselitz, Warhol, de Kooning, Twombly, and others.
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The Graphic Arts Collection
A
wide range of works from the Old Masters (Rembrandt, Titian) to Cézanne
are some of the highlights of this collection, along with modern
graphic works by Baselitz and Wols, and Franz Marc’s pen-and-ink drawing
The Tower of the Blue Horses (1912). Over 45,000 drawings and roughly
350,000 prints are shown in rotating exhibitions.
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The Architecture Collection
Some
350,000 architectural drawings and plans, roughly 100,000 photographs,
and approximately 500 models are presented in rotating exhibits on the
ground floor of the Pinakothek der Moderne.
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The Design Collection
Modern
utilitarian objects are the theme of this nearly 60,000-strong
collection. The exhibits range from chairs (Thonet room), to 1960s Pop
furniture, to objects from the world of aerodynamics and computer
design.
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On this list numbers 1–5 are in the Neue Pinakothek; 6–10 are in the Pinakothek der Moderne.
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Museum & Art District
Founded by Ludwig I, the
Neue Pinakothek was opened in 1853; it was destroyed in 1944. The new
structure, designed by Alexander von Branca, was inaugurated nearly four
decades later, in 1981. With a permanent collection of over 4,500
paintings and 300 sculptures, the Neue Pinakothek is one of the most
important museums of 19th-century art. The spacious building designed by
Stephan Braunfels for the Pinakothek der Moderne was inaugurated in
2002 as a site for art of the 20th and 21st centuries. With over 20,000
sq m (215,300 sq ft) of floor space, the museum provides ample room for
both permanent and special exhibitions. All galleries are grouped around
a central rotunda and linked via a network of stairs. At first
criticized because of the exorbitant building costs (€121 million), the
museum has since been acknowledged as one of the most impressive art
collections in the world. It is also the biggest art museum in Germany.
The three Pinakotheks in the Museum District are soon to be joined by
additional museums such as the Brandhorst collection, which is opening
in early 2009. The Glyptothek, the Museum of Antiquities, and the
Lenbachhaus are within easy walking distance of each other and
constitute the nexus of the Art District. The Museum District is also
home to dozens of private galleries.
Rotunda, Pinakothek der Moderne
Top 10 Events in Construction of the Pinakothek der Moderne
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1992: Stephan Braunfels wins design competition
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1993: Bavaria asks that donations cover 10 per cent of building costs
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1994: The PDM Foundation raises 30 million DM
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1995: Decision is made to build the museum
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1998: Raising-of-the-roof ceremony
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2000: Dispute over extra costs (30 million DM)
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Structural damage on roof
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