MunichSights

Gallery sights in Munich

  1. A

    Museum Villa Stuck

    Franz von Stuck was a leading light in Munich's art scene around the turn of the 20th century and his residence is one of the finest Jugendstil homes you'll ever see. Stuck himself came up with the intricate design, which forges tapestries, patterned floors, coffered ceilings and other elements into a harmonious work of art. His furniture even earned a gold medal at the Paris World Fair in 1900.

    Today, his pad is open as the Museum Villa Stuck and presents changing exhibits, usually starring Stuck's contemporaries but also later 20th-century avant-gardists such as Nam June Paik and Cindy Sherman. The most famous Stuck painting is Die Sünde (Sin; 1893), infused with an un…

    reviewed

  2. B

    Alte Pinakothek

    The Alte Pinakothek is a veritable treasure trove of works by Old European Masters and an unmissable part of any visit to the city. Housed in a neoclassical temple built by King Ludwig I, it is one of the most important collections in the world. Just north of the gallery, the Neue Pinakothek contains an extensive collection of 18th- to early-20th-century paintings and sculpture, from rococo to Jugendstil (art nouveau). A block east of the gallery is the Pinakothek der Moderne. Opened in 2002 after six years of construction, it is Germany's biggest collection of modern art. The spectacular interior is dominated by a huge eyelike dome, spreading natural light throughout the…

    reviewed

  3. C

    Kunstbau

    Kunstbau is a 120m-long underground tunnel above the U-Bahn station Königsplatz. Works of the expressionist Blauer Reiter (Blue Rider) artist group founded by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc in 1911 are shown here as well as at the nearby Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus.

    It's scheduled to close in 2009 for a top-to-bottom renovation directed by British star architect Lord Norman Foster. A reopening date has not been set.

    reviewed

  4. D

    Museum Brandhorst

    Opened next door to the Pinakothek der Moderne in mid-2009, the new multicoloured Museum Brandhorst was purpose-built to house a 700-piece private collection of modern and contemporary works belonging to Udo and Annette Brandhorst. Wow-factor is provided by Picasso, Warhol, Cy Twombly and even Damien Hirst, plus a number of lesser-known artists.

    reviewed

  5. E

    Schack-Galerie

    Count Adolf Friedrich von Schack (1815-94) was a great fan of 19th-century Romantic painters such as Böcklin, Feuerbach and Moritz von Schwind. His collection is housed in the former Prussian embassy, now the Schack-Galerie . A tour of this intimate space is like an escape into the idealised fantasy worlds created by these artists.

    reviewed

  6. F

    Antiquarium

    The famous Antiquarium is a barrel-vaulted hall smothered in frescoes and built to house the Wittelsbachs' enormous antique collection. This leads to the Schlachtensäle (Battle Halls) decorated with scenes from the Napoleonic campaigns, some of which King Ludwig II himself participated in.

    reviewed

  7. G

    Haus der Kunst

    On the southern edge of the Englischer Garten, the monolithic Haus der Kunst was once a Nazi gallery that ridiculed so-called 'degenerate' art. Today it holds high-calibre shows of paintings, photography and modern art exhibitions.

    reviewed

  8. H

    Kunsthalle Der Hypo-Kulturstiftung

    Fünf Höfe, a fashionable shopping mall also houses the Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung, a modern gallery space renowned for quality cross-genre exhibits.

    reviewed

  9. I

    Ahnengallery

    Tours at the Residenzmuseum take you through the downstairs Ahnengallery (Ancestors' Gallery), a riot in rococo with 121 portraits of the rulers of Bavaria in chronological order.

    reviewed

  10. J

    Seidlvilla

    The gorgeous former residence, the Seidlvilla, is now a community centre and art gallery. Ring the buzzer: if a show's on someone should let you in.

    reviewed

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  12. K

    Aktionsforum Praterinsel

    An art and cultural centre in a former schnapps distillery with artists studios, exhibits, open-air performances and parties.

    reviewed