The concept of "pinakothek" comes from the ancient Greeks, who called the premises for storing works of art, paintings.
Starting with the Renaissance period, the name of Munich was used to refer to collections of paintings open to the public.
In the modern world called the Pinakothek art museums, art galleries.
There are three pinakothekas in Munich: the Old Pinakothek, the New Pinakothek, and the Modern Pinakothek.
The Munich Pinakothekes are located in the city center and are part of the Munich Art Area - the museum quarter of Munich and a cultural center known outside the city (in Bavaria and in Europe).
All three Pinakothek art museums are within walking distance from each other.
Old Pinakothek
Old Pinakothek (Alte Pinakothek) is an art Museum, which is one of the most important art galleries in the world, with a collection of paintings by masters from the middle Ages to the mid-18th century.
History collection of the Old Pinakothek originated from the personal collections of the Wittelsbach dynasty, including the Duke Wilhelm IV and Ludwig I.
Today the Alte Pinakothek shows European paintings from the 14th to the 18th century. More than 700 paintings from all over Europe are presented on two floors of the gallery - in 19 rooms and 47 offices.
Address of the Alte Pinakothek: barer Strasse 27 (Barer Strasse). More about the Old Pinakothek...
New Pinakothek
New Pinakothek (Neue Pinakothek) art Museum, which presents paintings and sculptures by artists of the second half of the 18th - early 20th centuries.
Munich was founded in 1853 by king Ludwig I of Bavaria, who wanted to make his private collection of contemporary works of art available to the public.
Thus, the New Pinakothek is the first "collection of contemporary art" in the world.
The focus of the Museum - European art of the 18th and 19th centuries and sculpture of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The address of the New Pinakothek: barer Strasse 29 (Barer Strasse). Read more about New Pinakothek...
Pinakothek der Moderne
Pinakothek der Moderne (Pinakothek der Moderne) is one of the largest art museums of modern art, mainly 20th and 21st century.
Pinakothek der Moderne is a Museum building that brings together under one roof four independent Museumshowing its collection of different kinds of art:
- collection of contemporary art (Sammlung Moderne Kunst) contains works of the modernists, from about 1900 years; contemporary art from 1960-ies; and to the present day - video, photography and new media;
- new collection design (Die Neue Sammlung), in which there are more than 100,000 subjects, showing the history and development of design and applied art from 1900 to the present time;
- Museum of architecture technical University of Munich (Architekturmuseum der TUM), in whose collection includes paintings, drawings, photographs, models and computer animation, including the well-known architects and decorators;
- the state of graphic art (Staatliche Graphische Sammlung) represents the Bavarian state collection of works on paper and originates from the Wittelsbach collections, especially the collection of printing house of Charles Theodore to the present day.
Address Pinakothek der Moderne: barer Strasse, 40 (Barer Strasse). Read more about Pinakothek of modernity...
Practical information
In addition to the Pinakothek in Munich are two more important museums, which represent the Bavarian state collection of paintings:
- Museum Brandhorst - art Museum dedicated to contemporary art since the late 1950-ies to the present day. Address: theresienstraße underground station, 35A (Theresienstraße);
- Shaka collection (Sammlung Schack), which is one of the most important collection of paintings German painting of the 19th century in Bavaria. Address of collection: street Prinzregentenstrasse, 9 (Prinzregentenstraße).
All three Pinakothek can be purchased separate tickets. On Sundays, the cost of a ticket to any of the Pinakothek, as in all public museums in Munich is 1 Euro.
There is also a combined day ticket: Pinakothek + Deutsches Museum + collection of shack - 12 euros.
Special exhibitions, if they spend in a particular art gallery can be a separate entry prices.
The exact admission fees, and hours of work Pinakothek and conditions we recommend you to contact just before visiting on the official websites.
The website of the Alte Pinakothek: alte-pinakothek museums.
New Pinakothek: neue-pinakothek.
Website of the Pinakothek der Moderne: pinakothek-der-moderne.
