Gallery sights in Germany
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Heilig-Geist-Ausstellungsraum
There may be no vineyards in this neck of the woods but - with a little divine intervention - the Heilig-Geist-Stift-Schenke (Holy Spirit Foundation) has been producing its own wine for centuries. Passau's most historic restaurant is actually part of a former Franciscan monastery. In 1358, a wealthy local family created a foundation here for the poor, where residents lived for free on the condition that they prayed for the family in the adjoining chapel.
To fund the foundation, the family established vineyards in Krems (then also part of the Habsburg Empire, and now in Austria). Wine was given to residents with meals as a gesture of respect (providing they kept up their p…
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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…
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Sophie-Gips-Höfe & Sammlung Hoffmann
Blink and you’ll miss the plain doorway leading to this artsy trio of 19th-century courtyard complexes linking Sophienstrasse with quiet Gipsstrasse. Originally a sewing-machine factory, it now harbours stores, offices, flats, the popular Barcomi’s Deli and the Sammlung Hoffmann, a private contemporary art collection assembled by Erika and Rolf Hoffmann. In 1997 the couple opened up their two-storey apartment/gallery for guided 90-minute tours, a tradition Erika has continued since her husband’s death in 2001. Every July she rearranges the space, so you never know what you’re going to see, but most likely it’ll include works by Frank Stella, Michael Basquiat, AR Penck…
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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…
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Wallraf-Richartz-Museum
A famous collection of paintings from the 13th to the 19th centuries, the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum occupies a postmodern cube designed by the late OM Ungers. Works are presented chronologically, with the oldest on the 1st floor where standouts include brilliant examples from the Cologne School, known for its distinctive use of colour. Upstairs are Dutch and Flemish artists, including Rembrandt and Rubens, Italians such as Canaletto and Spaniards such as Murillo. The 3rd floor focuses on the 19th century, with evocative works by Caspar David Friedrich and Lovis Corinth. Thanks to a permanent loan from Swiss collector Gérard Corboud, there's also a respectable collection of …
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Staatsgalerie
In a deconsecrated church attached to the Schaezlerpalais is the Staatsgalerie, which has mostly Augsburg-related works by Old Masters, including a portrait of Jakob Fugger by Albrecht Dürer, and a couple more works by Hans Holbein.
The Elder painted around 1500 (look closely and you'll see the sky-blue-and-white checks of the Bavarian flag on the trousers of the Bavarian provocateurs, highlighting the fierce rivalry between Augsburg and Bavaria, giving you an idea of the tensions to be overcome when Augsburg was absorbed into the Bavarian state).
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Neue Nationalgalerie
The first of the Kulturforum museums to be completed was the Neue Nationalgalerie, an edgy glass temple by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe that shelters early-20th-century European paintings and sculpture. Expect all the usual suspects from Picasso to Dalí, plus an outstanding collection of German expressionists such as Georg Grosz and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Note that the permanent collection occasionally yields to visiting blockbuster shows.
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Sprengel Museum
It's the building as much as the curatorial policy that puts the Sprengel Museum in such high esteem. Its huge interior spaces are brilliant for displaying its modern figurative, abstract and conceptual art, including a few works by Nolde, Chagall and Picasso. At the core of the collection are 300 works by Niki de Saint Phalle, a selection of which is usually on show. Take bus 100 from Kröpcke to the Sprengelmuseum/Maschsee stop.
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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.
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Stadthaus
Besides the Münster, the other highlight of Münsterplatz - from a completely different era - is the white-and-glass 1993 Stadthaus, designed by the American architect Richard Meier. He caused an uproar by erecting a postmodern building next to the city's Gothic gem but the result is both gorgeous and functional. The structure stages art exhibitions and special events, and also houses the tourist office and a café.
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Galerie Wohnmaschine
Berlin has witnessed a proliferation of galleries in the new millennium, including branches of renowned American and British galleries, including New York’s Galerie Goff + Rosenthal. Other pioneering ventures include Galerie Wohnmaschine, Galerie Eigen+Art, Contemporary Fine ArtsNeugerriemschneiderGalerie Thomas Schulte.
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K21 Kunstsammlung Im Ständehaus
Speaking of juxtaposition: a stately 19th-century parliament building forms the incongruous setting of the cutting-edge K21 Kunstsammlung im Ständehaus, which brims with canvases, photographs, installations and video art created after 1980 by an international cast of artists. Look for works by Andreas Gursky, Candida Höfer, Bill Viola and the late Nam June Paik.
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Kunsthalle
A treasure trove of art from the Renaissance to the present day, Hamburg's Kunsthalle spans two buildings - one old, one new - linked by an underground passage. The main building houses works ranging from medieval portraiture to 20th-century classics, such as Klee and Kokoschka. There's also a memorable room of 19th-century landscapes by Caspar David Friedrich.
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Gemäldegalerie
Older masters grace the walls of the Gemäldegalerie, a gallery of European art from the 13th to the 18th centuries that is famous for its exceptional quality and breadth. Take advantage of the audioguide to get the low-down on selected works by Rembrandt, Dürer, Hals, Vermeer and Gainsborough. And wear comfy shoes: a tour of all 72 rooms covers almost 2km.
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Kunsthalle
For art lovers, Bremen's Kulturmeile (Cultural Mile) boasts the Kunsthalle, which at the time of research was being given two new wings and a revamped cafe. When it reopens, you can expect to find a large permanent collection of paintings, sculpture and copperplate engraving from the Middle Ages into the modern, as well as changing exhibitions.
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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.
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GlasPalast
The GlasPalast is an industrial monument made of iron, concrete and glass that houses two new art galleries. The Centre of Contemporary Art is cutting-edge while the State Gallery of Modern Art shows post-50s American highlights of the genre. Its public art library is open during visiting hours. Also look out for guided tours, concerts and films.
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Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg
The Berggruen ticket is also good for same-day admission to the Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg, and vice versa. Open since 2008, this stellar museum trains the spotlight on surrealist artists with an impressive body of works by Magritte, Max Ernst, Dalí, Dubuffet and their 18th-century precursors such as Goya and Piranesi.
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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.
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Sammlung Boros
Book early to join art aficionados and the merely curious on a trippy tour of a Nazi-era bunker where ad guru Christian Boros shares his exalted collection of contemporary works with the public. The concrete maze is the perfect backdrop for such art-world darlings as Olafur Eliasson, Damien Hirst, Sarah Lucas and Wolfgang Tillmans.
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Essen Cathedral
Essen's medieval cathedral (Dom) is an island of quiet engulfed by the commercialism of pedestrianised Kettwiger Strasse, the main shopping strip. It has a magnificent collection of Ottonian works, all about 1000 years old. Most prized is the Golden Madonna, set in its own midnight-blue chapel that matches the colour of her eyes.
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Kunstmeile
Keep an eye out for special exhibitions in the museums along Hamburg's Kunstmeile, extending from Glockengiesserwall to Deichtorstrasse between the Alster lakes and the Elbe. In particular, the converted market halls of the wonderful Deichtorhallen show international touring exhibitions of contemporary art as well as photography.
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Kestner Gesellschaft
It's always worth checking listings for the Kestner Gesellschaft. Having exhibited works by Otto Dix, Georg Grosz, Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee before they became famous, the society is still originating shows that later tour Europe. Its wonderfully light, high-ceilinged premises were once a bathhouse.
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Alte Nationalgalerie
A Greek-temple building by August Stüler is an elegant backdrop for the exquisite collection of 19th-century European art at the Alte Nationalgalerie. Drawcards include Caspar David Friedrich's mystical landscapes, sensitive portraits by Max Liebermann and the light-hearted canvasses of Monet and Renoir.
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Staatsgalerie
The neoclassical meets contemporary Staatsgalerie bears British architect James Stirling's curvy, colourful imprint. Alongside big-name exhibitions, the gallery harbours a top-drawer collection of 20th-century art, showcasing works by Rembrandt, Monet, Dalí and pop idols Warhol and Lichtenstein.
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