Pinakothek, Munich: description and reviews

Pinakothek (Munich) - one of the most famous art galleries of world level, which presents more than 700 picturesque masterpieces of 14-21 centuries, which were written by the most famous masters: Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, A. Durer, I. Bosch, Altdorfer, V. Titian , S. Botticelli, F. Goya, and others.

History of the collection

The Old Pinakothek in Munich (Alte Pinakothek) is a popular and famous museum, in which there are 9 thousand paintings by Europeans from the 14th and 18th centuries. A distinctive feature of the museum comes from its name. The Pinakothek (Greek "picture gallery") is the place where only paintings are exhibited.

The collection of paintings was started in 1528 by the Bavarian duke Wilhelm IV von Wittelsbach, who wanted to decorate the summer pavilion of his Munich residence with paintings for historical reasons. The very first was written "Battle of Alexander", dedicated to the battle of Alexander the Great with the Persian army of King Darius. Then the collection began to replenish and other members of the Wittelbach family.

By the end of the 17th century, the meeting of its significance was becoming one of the most outstanding in Europe. In particular, the works of Flemish artists, which were assembled by the Bavarian Elector Max Emmanuel (1679-1726), were added to it.

By the beginning of the 18th century the museum already had works by prominent painters from Italy, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands. Then there was a further increase in the collection:

• In 1777 he was joined by paintings from the Mannheim Gallery;
• In 1803 - 1,500 works of painting, which previously were in churches and monasteries;
• 1806- Dusseldorf's collections and works from the castle of Karlsberg were added.

To accommodate the paintings was built a separate room in the Schleissheim Palace.

Building of the Pinakothek Building

The years of the reign of Ludwig I of Bavaria (1825-1848) - a landmark period in the history of the Munich gallery. At this time, they acquired the famous works of German and Dutch artists of the 15th century, Italian canvases of the Renaissance.

To accommodate such a rich collection, it is already necessary to construct a special building and place the works there in chronological order.

Ludwig I decided that his private collection of works of art worthy of becoming public, so that Munich was considered the world's most famous center of painting and other arts.

The layout of the gallery building was designed by the architect Leo von Klenz in the Renaissance style. The solemn laying of the foundation of the building took place in April 1826 on the birthday of the artist-beloved Ludwig Raphael Santi. The King of Bavaria ordered to name the museum the Greek word "Pinakothek".

The Old Pinakothek (Munich) was built as early as 1836, and at the same time Ludwig issued a decree on a free visit by everyone who wished the museum on Sundays. However, the first years the townspeople did not so much visit the museum, how many picnics they arranged on the lawn in front of the gallery.

In the old Pinakothek are exclusively works of painting, ranging from the Middle Ages and ending with the Age of Enlightenment. Its building is rather gloomy and gray, inside the hall is also almost nothing decorated. The complete lack of decoration is made specifically to ensure that visitors are not distracted from the main purpose of visiting the museum - contemplating the masterpieces of the world art of painting.

Throughout the 19-20th centuries, the Pinakothek collection continued to expand due to the acquisition of works of painting of those times for which the building of the new Pinakothek was built in 1853.

War and restoration of museums

During the Second World War, Pinakothek (Munich) was badly damaged by the raids of Anglo-American aviation. The pictures themselves survived, because they were previously stacked in underground shelters. The building of the old Pinakothek was restored only by 1963.

But the building of the new Pinakothek (see photo) was almost completely destroyed, and it was not possible to restore it. The new Pinakothek was completely rebuilt according to the project of architect A. Brancas, and it was opened only in 1981.

The building is unusual, has many bay windows and semi-circular window arches, which in due time caused public disputes and different opinions. However, inside the hall are magnificent, especially received positive reviews provided by the architect of the upper lighting.

Now here are exhibited 550 paintings and sculptures of the 19-20 centuries.

Collections of the old Pinakothek

The exposition is housed in a two-story building on the first floor of which temporary, often changing exhibitions take place in the left wing. Among the painters, which is the old Pinakothek (Munich) - paintings by Flemish and German artists of the 15-17 centuries: P. Bruegel, L. Cranach and others (right wing).

On the second floor there are collections of the Northern Renaissance: paintings by the Dutchman L. van Leiden, Rembrandt; Durer and S. Lochner; Italian masters Botticelli, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci; Flemish Van Dyck, Rubens.

In the right wing you can see collections of paintings from the Baroque and Rococo era, among them El Greco and Murillo, as well as other Italian, French and German artists.

Masterpieces of the Old Pinakothek

Many of the works of famous artists are the old Pinakothek (Munich): masterpieces of the 15-18 centuries, each of which has its own history.

For example, the picture "Madonna with a carnation" was accidentally bought from a merchant, and only later it turned out that she belongs to the brush of a young Leonardo da Vinci. Now this is the only painting of the master, located on the territory of Germany. The flower of a carnation, which the Virgin Mary holds, is a symbol of immortality.

The works of François Boucher "The Portrait of Madame de Pompadour" (1758) and "The Resting Girl" (1752) depict the court ladies: the favorite of Louis 15, who was a famous beauty with impeccable taste, and Louise O'Murphy, a court lady who in the future Also became a favorite of the king.

Van Dyck's works "Self-Portrait" (1619) and "Susanna and the Elders" (1622), masters of the court portrait and religious paintings.

The work of P. Rubens "The Last Judgment" (1617) tells of an important event: when people with a story about their lives, committed sins and great achievements appear before God to determine their fate - the way to heaven or hell. This is one of the largest canvases in the history of the world, measuring 610 x 460 cm, under which the museum hall was specially designed.

In the painting Death of Seneca (1613), the famous Dutch artist P. Rubens talks about the historical fact that happened to the famous thinker Seneca, whom the Emperor Nero ordered to commit suicide in punishment for betrayal. The philosopher Seneca duly listened to this decision and, with his wife, prepared to accept his death.

New Pinakothek: History

The New Pinakothek in Munich was founded in 1846 as a continuation of the old one and initially contained works of art from the 18th century. King Otto of Greece continued the work of his father and formed an exhibition of works by artists from the Munich Painting School. The famous landscape painter K. Rothman wrote 23 large canvases for the gallery with the image and dedication of Greece.

In 1909, the collection was added to the work of French impressionists (Cezanne, Manet, Gauguin, etc.).

The new Pinakothek collected works of art from the 19th and 20th centuries of the epochs of romanticism, classicism and realism. In total, there are 3,000 paintings and 300 sculptures in the storerooms, of which 550 paintings and 50 sculptures are exhibited in 22 halls.

Pictures of the new Pinakothek

The most famous masterpieces represented by the new Pinakothek (Munich) are paintings:

• "The Vase with Sunflowers" by V. Van Gogh (1888) - is the image of the symbol of optimism and creative thought of a person, a gift to the viewer of a small piece of the sun.
• "Poor poet" K. Spitzweg (1839) - describes the mess and strange situation in the home of a lonely poet, keen on his creativity so much that he does not see the surrounding environment.

• "After a stormy night" by Yu. K. K. Dal (1819) - the picture is saturated with the aftermath of the crash left after the storm, and at the same time, celebrates the rebirth in the form of a ray of light.
• "Don Quixote" Honore Daumier (1868) symbolizes the loneliness of the hero, whom the artist specially wrote without a face.

The Pinakothek of our time

The third, most modern part of the gallery (opened since 2002) is the Pinakothek of Modernity (Munich), which is dedicated to today's arts. It includes 4 independent museums:

• A collection of works of contemporary art, part of the Bavarian collection of paintings.
• The State Museum of Applied Arts.
• The architectural museum - mainly tells about German architecture of the 19th and 21st centuries, the exhibition often changes (500 thousand drawings and plans created by architects at different times, as well as 100 thousand photos of architectural solutions).
• The State Graphical Assembly of Munich (350 thousand engravings and 45 thousand drawings).

The building of the Pinakothek of our time was erected according to the project of the architect S. Braunfels for private donations. It is spacious and light, in its center - a two-sphere rotunda, in two directions from which wide stairways are diverging, directing visitors to the exposition.

In the underground part there is a design collection, on the 1st floor there are architectural and graphic collections, as well as temporary exhibitions.

The western wing contains a collection of classical modern, the eastern wing - tells about the directions of contemporary art: Expressionism, Cubism, Fauvism, Bauhaus, Surrealism, Pop Art, Minimalism, etc.

All collections were collected in the second half of the 20th century as donations of collectors donated to the museum. The last gift - a collection of German and North American art of the 1960-90s. - was transferred in 2006 by E. and M. Stoffel.

The collection features works by famous artists: A. Matisse, F. Leger, Salvador Dali, P. Picasso, etc. There is also a room with photographic works of modern photographers.

Pinakothek in Munich: opening hours, prices

All three of the Pinakothek are close to each other, on Sunday the price is € 1, but on that day the museums are full of tourists.

Addresses: street Barer Straße 27, 29, 40, Munich (Pinakothek). Opening Hours:

• Old - 10.00 to 18.00, Tuesday to 20.00, closed Monday.
• New - 10.00 to 18.00, Wednesday to 20.00, closed Tuesday.
• The Pinakothek of our time - from 10.00 to 18.00, on Thursday to 20.00, without days off.

On ordinary days, the cost in Pinakothek varies:

• Old - ticket price 4 €.
• The new one is 7 €.
• The Pinakothek of our time is 10 €.

Pinakothek in Munich: reviews

Reviews of tourists who visited the Pinakothek in Munich - all, without exception, enthusiastically positive. For people who are professionally interested in painting and various areas of contemporary art, these picture galleries are a storehouse of information and new impressions from masterpieces of world art of painting.

Many visitors regret that the old Pinakothek (Munich) until 2018 is open to visitors only partially, some expositions do not work because of the restoration work.

For tourists visiting the famous Munich Art Gallery gives an opportunity to get acquainted with different kinds of art (painting, sculpture, architecture and design) at once several eras, from the Middle Ages and ending with modernity.