Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(
www.pinakothek.de
;
Barer Strasse 27; adult/child €7/5, Sun €1, audio guide €4.50;
10am-8pm Tue, to 6pm Wed-Sun; Pinakotheken, Pinakotheken)
Munich's main re-
pository of Old European Masters is crammed with all the major players that decorated
canvases between the 14th and 18th centuries. This neoclassical temple was master-
minded by Leo von Klenze and is a delicacy even if you can't tell your Rembrandt from
your Rubens. Nearly all the paintings were collected or commissioned by Wittelsbach
rulers; it fell to Ludwig I to unite them in a single museum.
The collection is world famous for its exceptional quality and depth, especially when it
comes to German masters. The oldest works are altar paintings, of which the
Four Church
Fathers
by Michael Pacher and Lucas Cranach the Elder's
Crucifixion
(1503), an emo-
tional rendition of the suffering Jesus, stand out.
A key room is the Dürersaal upstairs. Here hangs Albrecht Dürer's famous Christlike
Self-Portrait
(1500), showing the gaze of an artist brimming with self-confidence. His fi-
nal major work,
The Four Apostles
, depicts John, Peter, Paul and Mark as rather humble
men in keeping with post-Reformation ideas. Compare this to Matthias Grünewald's
Sts
Erasmus and Maurice
, which shows the saints dressed in rich robes like kings.
For a secular theme, inspect Albrecht Altdorfer's
Battle of Alexander the Great
(1529),
which captures in dizzying detail a 6th-century war pitting Greeks against Persians.
There's a choice bunch of Dutch masters, including an altarpiece by Rogier van der
Weyden called
The Adoration of the Magi
, plus
The Seven Joys of Mary
by Hans Mem-
ling,
Danae
by Jan Gossaert and
The Land of Cockayne
by Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
Rubens fans also have reason to rejoice. At 6m in height, his epic
Last Judgment
is so big
that Klenze custom-designed the hall for it. A memorable portrait is
Hélène Fourment
(1631), a youthful beauty who was the ageing Rubens' second wife.
The Italians are represented by Botticelli, Rafael, Titian and many others, while the
French collection includes paintings by Nicolas Poussin, Claude Lorrain and François
Boucher. The Spaniards field such heavy hitters as El Greco, Murillo and Velázquez.
Allow at least two hours for a visit, and when you're finished digesting the art, take on
refreshments at the wonderfully vaulted museum cafe.
Pinakothek der Moderne
(
www.pinakothek.de
;
Barer Strasse 40; adult/child €10/7, Sun €1; 10am-6pm Tue,
Wed & Fri-Sun, 10am-8pm Thu; Pinakotheken, Pinakotheken)
Germany's largest
modern art museum opened in 2002 in a blockbusting building by Stephan Braunfels that
sets the perfect stage for artists and designers who have dominated their respective fields
ART MUSEUM
