Art Museum

Bavarian State Painting Collections

Munich, Germany

Bavarian State Painting Collections is an art museum in Munich, Germany. 317 works from its collection are in this catalog, including Paolo Veronese and Jean Honoré Fragonard.

About Bavarian State Painting Collections

Overview

The Bavarian State Painting Collections (Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen) is a major art institution based in Munich, Germany, overseeing artwork held by the Free State of Bavaria. It manages a network of museums including the Alte Pinakothek, Neue Pinakothek, Pinakothek der Moderne, and the Sammlung Schack. The institution has evolved from a repository of royal paintings into a modern complex presenting works from the Middle Ages to the present day, including sculpture, photography, and video art.

History & Founding

The institution was established in 1799 as the Central Painting Gallery Administration (Centralgemäldegaleriedirektion) following the substantial growth of the Wittelsbach family's painting stock after inheriting galleries from Mannheim and Zweibrücken. The collection expanded significantly in the early 19th century due to secularization and the transfer of the Düsseldorf gallery. After World War II, a provisional gallery was established in the Haus der Kunst before the collections were redistributed to the restored Alte Pinakothek in 1957 and the newly built Neue Pinakothek in 1981.

Building & Architecture

The Alte Pinakothek was commissioned by King Ludwig I and built between 1826 and 1836 by architect Leo von Klenze in the Classicist style. Klenze utilized skylights to illuminate the exhibition spaces, setting a pioneering standard for European museum architecture. The building suffered considerable damage during World War II. From 1957, it was rebuilt by Hans Döllgast, who replaced missing façade parts with unplastered brickwork, intentionally leaving the 'wounds' of the war visible as a testament to Germany's post-war recovery.

Collection Highlights

The Alte Pinakothek houses over 700 works from the 14th to 18th centuries, featuring milestones by artists such as Dürer, Raphael, Leonardo, Titian, and Rubens. A key masterpiece is 'The Battle of Alexander at Issus' (1529) by Albrecht Altdorfer, a history painting commissioned by Duke William IV. This work depicts the victory of Alexander the Great over Darius III and is noted for its use of cartographic material and the guiding lines of lances and a red cord that direct the viewer's eye to the protagonists.

Significance & Modern Expansion

The collections have expanded beyond traditional painting to include sculpture, photography, video art, and spatial installations, particularly in the 20th-century holdings. The Pinakothek der Moderne, opened in 2002, serves as a permanent home for the Modern Arts Collection, while the Brandhorst Museum opened in 2009 to exhibit the Udo and Anette Brandhorst collection. The institution also maintains branch galleries across Bavaria, some dating back to the early 19th century, which present regionally relevant collections of high quality.