Pinakothek der Moderne

The Pinakothek der Moderne is a modern art museum situated in the Maxvorstadt district of central Munich, within the Kunstareal cultural quarter. Inaugurated in 2002, it unifies four previously independent institutions under one roof, covering art, architecture, design, and works on paper. The museum provides a comprehensive survey of 20th and 21st century visual culture, effectively continuing the historical timeline of art established by the nearby Alte Pinakothek and Neue Pinakothek. It is widely regarded as one of the most important and popular museums of modern art in Europe.

Before the museum's establishment, 20th century art in Munich was largely relegated to the Haus der Kunst or occasional contemporary exhibits at the Lenbachhaus. The modern art collection itself began forming after 1945 through purchases, donations, and foundations, growing from a core of seven significant works in 1950, including pieces by Franz Marc and Oskar Kokoschka. The realization of a dedicated building required substantial private initiative, starting with ten million euros in private donations, which prompted the Free State of Bavaria to assume financing and provide the site of the former Türkenkaserne. Designed by Stephan Braunfels, construction lasted seven years, delayed by bureaucratic objections to design and cost. The building was inaugurated on September 16, 2002, welcoming its two millionth visitor after only a year and a half. A planned second construction phase for additional space was postponed due to financial constraints and the prioritized construction of the Museum Brandhorst.

The institution uniquely consolidates four distinct museums. The Sammlung Moderne Kunst, part of the Bavarian State Painting Collections, encompasses over 20,000 paintings, sculptures, and new media works from classical modernism to the present. The Staatliche Graphische Sammlung originates from the Wittelsbach collections, notably the print room of Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria, and displays its highly light-sensitive works in rotating exhibitions. Die Neue Sammlung, founded in 1925, is the world's largest museum of industrial design, holding around 70,000 objects of applied modernist art. Finally, the Architekturmuseum of the Technical University of Munich is the largest collection of its kind in Germany, exhibiting plans, sketches, models, and computer animations. The museum is further enriched by permanent loans from the Danner Jewelry Collection, featuring contemporary works from over one hundred international goldsmiths.

The art collection comprehensively represents major 20th century movements including Expressionism, Cubism, Surrealism, Pop Art, and Minimal Art, built upon significant private collections such as those of Theo Wormland, Sophie and Emanuel Fohn, and Eleanor and Michael Stoffel. The classical modernism wing features extensive holdings of Pablo Picasso and Max Beckmann, alongside works by Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, and the German Expressionist groups Die Brücke and Der Blaue Reiter, including Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Franz Marc, and Wassily Kandinsky. The contemporary art wing displays works by Andy Warhol, Joseph Beuys, Gerhard Richter, and notable Minimal Art pieces by Donald Judd, Dan Flavin, and Fred Sandback. New media and video art are represented by Bruce Nauman, Bill Viola, and Pipilotti Rist. The design collection features the Michael Thonet chair collection, automotive design, and computer culture. The architecture collection holds drawings and models by François de Cuvilliés, Balthasar Neumann, Gottfried Semper, Le Corbusier, and Günter Behnisch. The institution has also faced provenance disputes, notably regarding Picasso's Madame Soler, claimed by the heirs of Paul von Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.

Designed by German architect Stephan Braunfels, the 22,000-square-meter, 120 million dollar building is characterized by a rectilinear facade of white and grey concrete, interrupted by large windows and high rise columns that support an extensive canopied roof. The interior is organized around a central domed rotunda with a 30-meter diameter, from which two large staircases lead to the collections. The first floor, housing the art collection, utilizes ample natural light from above, augmented by computer-controlled lamps to maintain consistent, nearly shadowless illumination against gray floors and white walls. The four corners of the building are dedicated to the four distinct collections: design in the basement, architecture and works on paper on the ground floor, classical modernism in the west wing of the upper floor, and contemporary art in the east wing. The building suffered from significant construction defects, with the architect listing over 200 deficiencies at handover in 2002, attributing the issues to an unrealistically low budget. These problems necessitated the museum's closure for renovations from late February to September 2013, during which a temporary exhibition space called the Schaustelle operated outside.

The Pinakothek der Moderne is located on Barer Straße in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, Germany, forming a monumental museum complex with the Alte Pinakothek and Neue Pinakothek within the Kunstareal. The institution is accessible to the public and continues to serve as a major cultural venue in the city, operating under the umbrella of the Bavarian State Painting Collections and its partner institutions. In February 2019, the Stiftung Pinakothek der Moderne acquired the usage rights from the architect for the planned second construction phase, indicating ongoing development for the site's future expansion needs.