Pinakothek der Moderne: exhibitions of art, graphics, architecture and design

Why the Pinakothek der Moderne is worth a visit:

If you want to explore current trends or simply want an overall view of the of the diversity of four different art disciplines, the Pinakothek der Moderne is the right place to start. Located in the heart of Munich's art district, this forum is one of the greatest collectors of artworks in Europe and was founded to develop new perspectives on the four focus areas.

What to see? One house, four museums: the Pinakothek der Moderne represents modern and contemporary art, design, architecture and graphics all under one roof. The museum, built in 2002 by Stephan Braunfels, is a must-visit in Munich and one of the best-known exhibition houses in Europe.

What’s special? An UFO seems to have just landed on the lawn in front of the entrance. The art installation is called "Futuro" and has become a kind of landmark of the design museum. For all its exhibitions dedicated to a different collection, the Pinakothek der Moderne offers guided tours, workshops and a varied children's and youth programme.

Sammlung Moderne Kunst (Modern Art Collection)

With a total of over 20,000 works, the Modern Art Collection at the Pinakothek der Moderne is one of the leading international institutions for painting, sculpture, graphic art, photography and time-based media. Its spectrum ranges from the most important avant-garde movements of the early 20th century to the immediate present.

Since the 20th anniversary of the Pinakothek der Moderne in September 2022, the Modern Art Collection has been presented in a completely new way in 25 rooms on 3600 square metre with around 350 works by more than 150 artists. Starting with key works from the fields of painting, sculpture, graphic art, photography and video art. Characterised by a spirit of curiosity and experimentation, the new display titled MIX & MATCH invites visitors to rediscover the collection in themed galleries and unconventional juxtapositions.

The outstanding holdings of classical modernism by Max Beckmann, August Macke, Paul Klee and Pablo Picasso, for example, enter into direct dialogue with photography from the unique collection of the Ann and Jürgen Wilde Foundation (Bernd and Hilla Becher, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Karl Blossfeldt, Florence Henri, Germaine Krull, Lazlo Moholy-Nagy).

Unique works by contemporary artists from the fields of painting, photography and video art, such as David Claerbout, Dan Flavin, Katharina Grosse, Andreas Gursky, Jonathan Meese and Jeff Wall, among others, confront current social, political, philosophical and societal discourses in this colorful new concept.

In this way, works of art from 120 years open up lively perspectives on central questions of our present. Visitors are cordially invited to (re)discover highlights of the collection as well as previously unknown masterpieces and new acquisitions of recent years.

The Design Museum: The New Collection

The Neue Sammlung is one of the largest and most important museums of applied art of the 20th and 21st centuries. In the basement of the Pinakothek der Moderne, you can start on a "journey" through design history: from automobiles such as a Porsche, a Citroën DS or an NSU RO, to furniture, jewellery, mobile phones and computers, numerous everyday objects are diversified.

• The Paternoster-Halle: Every year design personalities are invited here for a characteristic and site-specific presentation. For ten months, the hall presents a designer's engagement with the museum's display. In recent years, for example, presentations by Konstantin Grcic, Hella Jongerius, Friedrich von Borries and Ingo Maurer have been shown.
• The Danner Rotunda and its jewellery art: International contemporary jewellery art is presented to the public on 400 square metre. Every five years, the Danner Rotunda is redecorated by invited guest curators. The jewellery collection on display takes up the ideas of the great classics as well as those of avant-garde trends and reflects the multi-faceted spectrum of contemporary jewellery art.
• The X-D-E-P-O-T: This new multifunctional room opened the doors in 2021 to exhibit the museum’s inventory on a larger and more comprehensive scale. Like sequences of images, objects are brought together in constellations that visualize various different themes. These incorporate correlations of materials, shapes and colors, as well as design categories, styles from specific periods in time, and current discourse.

Architekturmuseum der TUM (Architecture)

The historical memory of the Architekturmuseum der TUM maintains one of the largest archives in the German-speaking region. The collection currently includes around 600 000 drawings, 200 000 photographs, 1500 models and many other media by over 700 architects. Through exhibitions, publications, guided tours and lectures, it constantly strives to improve the presentation, comprehensibility and promotion of public interest in the art of architecture. The collection focuses on German architecture from the 19th to the 21st century.

Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München (Prints & Drawings)

Along with the Kupferstichkabinetts in Berlin and Dresden, the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München (SGSM) is one of the three most important museums of drawings and prints in Germany and one of the largest institutions of its kind in the world. Its holdings of some 400,000 works of art on paper cover the history of prints and drawings, from the 12th century up to the 21st century. The collection focuses on early German and Dutch drawings and prints (e. g. from Dürer and Rembrandt), Italian Renaissance drawings and 19th century German drawings as well as modern and contemporary graphic art.

Regular Guided Tours in the Pinakothek der Moderne

Guided tours on a wide variety of themes and "highlight" topics with a particular focus take place regularly: from classical overviews to tours of individual artists and special exhibitions.

For children and families: art workshops and more

A special programme gives kids the opportunity to experience art by themselves and find inspiration in the museum’s art and design themes.

• Every Sunday children over the age of five can enjoy themselves drawing, painting and making things together in small groups led by experienced art appreciation experts. The workshops are admission free, registration is not necessary and the participation is possible spontaneously between 1 and 5 p. m.

Museum shop and Café

In addition to publications of the Pinakotheken and several works on artists and art in general, the museum shop also sells art prints, postcards, gifts and all kinds of design objects.

Snacks are available at the museum café in the impressive winter garden. Here, coffee, cakes and innovative dishes await you between bamboo trees and in front of an 18-metre-high glass façade.

Admission Prices

• Admission: 10 Euro

• Sunday admission: 1 Euro

• Reduced: 7 Euro (Students, visitors over 65 years of age, severely disabled persons)

• Free admission: Children and young persons under the age of 18, All students over 18 years of age, students of art, art history, art studies and art education, journalists with a current press card and registered companions of severely disabled visitors

The Online Collection

You can experience the artworks of the Sammlung Moderne Kunst as part of the comprehensive online collection of the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen (Bavarian State Painting Collections) including up to 25,000 works in 12 style categories.

Concrete and a glass dome: About the architecture

The museum complex can be entered from two sides, the two entrances inside are connected by a diagonal wall. Passing bare concrete, you enter the imposing museum building and are led into the central hall, whose impressive glass dome towers 25 metres above the ground.

The rotunda is also the starting point for your tour of the four museum areas in the building. All of the museum's exhibition rooms are arranged around the rotunda and cut into squares, so that new interesting perspectives are constantly offered during your visit.