German
Lindenau-Museum
How to find us:
- Street
- Kunstgasse 1
- Zip, City
- 04600 Altenburg
- Country
- Germany
- Phone
- +49 (0)3447 8955-430
- Fax
- +49 (0)3447 8955-440
- Web
- http://www.lindenau-museum.de
Description
In the urban landscape of Altenburg, the Lindenau-Museum Altenburg plays a central role as an art-historical institution that preserves and presents the private collection of the Saxon-Thuringian statesman and art collector Bernhard August von Lindenau. The listed museum building from 1876 is located in the town and is currently undergoing extensive renovation; the building has been closed since January 2020. A selection of the holdings has been on display at a temporary location at Kunstgasse 1 since July 2020, and special exhibitions are being held in the Prinzenpalais of the Altenburg Residence Palace. Since 1 October 2020 the Lindenau-Museum has been working in association with the Altenburg museums.
The collection is internationally significant for its special collection of early Italian panel paintings: with 180 works the museum holds the largest assembly of this genre outside Italy, with an emphasis on masters from Siena, Florence and Umbria (13th–16th centuries). The offering is complemented by around 300 plaster casts of classical sculptures, a collection of ancient Greek vases, Egyptian and Mesopotamian objects, as well as works of the Italian Renaissance and Neoclassicism. In addition there is an extensive graphic collection of approximately 50,000 sheets and an outstanding collection of works by the artist Gerhard Altenbourg; since 2009 the museum has owned over 100 unique works by this artist, constituting the largest Altenbourg collection worldwide. Since 2021 the institution has also housed, on long-term loan, a collection of the Classical Modern.
The history of the collection reaches back into the 19th century: Lindenau already made his holdings publicly accessible in 1848 at the Pohlhof estate. The close connection between the museum and an art school (Studio Bildende Kunst), continued since 1971, is a particular characteristic of the institution. In the 20th century the collection suffered severe losses: in 1937 the National Socialists removed 43 works from the holdings — including works by Lovis Corinth, Lyonel Feininger, Max Pechstein and other artists — many of which were lost. Later, sales of artist copies in the 1960s led to further losses.
After 1945 the scope of the collection was expanded to include European painting from the Early Modern period to the modern era, as well as German sculpture of the 19th and 20th centuries. Significant repurchases and long-term loans have supplemented the holdings in more recent times.
The ongoing renovation and a master plan for the museum and palace precinct aim at accessibility, climate control, modern storage and exhibition spaces, and the use of adjacent buildings for special exhibitions and workshops. A recommended preliminary plan was selected in 2023 for the planned implementation; completion is scheduled for 2027/28. Support associations and regular prizes for contemporary art are part of the institution’s engagement.
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