Pinakothek der Moderne

Description

The Pinakothek der Moderne is located in the Kunstareal in Munich, a museum building on Barer Straße that brings four independent collections together under one roof.

The building opened in 2002. Its realization followed a phase of private seed financing; the Free State of Bavaria subsequently took over further funding and provided a site on the former Türkenkaserne. Inside, a double-shell rotunda with two large staircases forms the centre; its diameter is 30 metres. The collections are arranged spatially: in the basement the Design Collection, on the ground floor exhibition rooms for architecture, graphic arts and temporary presentations, on the upper floor the West Wing houses the Classical Modern and the East Wing the Contemporary Art. Early construction defects led to renovation work, and a temporary exhibition space was installed as a provisional measure. A planned second construction phase was postponed due to funding shortfalls; in 2019 the foundation acquired the usage rights for that section.

The Sammlung Moderne Kunst displays paintings, sculptures and media from the Classical Modern to the present and presents a selection from a holding of over 20,000 works in approximately 35 galleries. Its development and expansion took place after 1945 through foundations, bequests and acquisition policy. Focus areas include movements such as Expressionism, Cubism, Bauhaus, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art and Minimal Art. Significant acquisitions and donations have expanded the holdings, including extensive works by a central German artist as well as more recent purchases and gifts, most recently a key work of Cubism.

The Staatliche Graphische Sammlung comprises about 400,000 sheets from the Renaissance to the present and traces back to historical Wittelsbach holdings; despite wartime losses it is counted among the most important graphic collections in Germany. The Neue Sammlung documents design history from around 1900 to the present and is regarded as one of the leading collections for industrial design, with holdings in vehicle design, computer culture, jewellery, everyday objects and furniture, including a Thonet collection. The Architecture Museum of the Technical University of Munich holds extensive collections of drawings, plans and models and is the largest collection of its kind in Germany.

For public engagement the museum offers a wide programme of guided tours, workshops and age-appropriate activities for children, day-care centres and school groups. Discovery tours in several languages as well as regular children's workshops complement the programme.