Alte Pinakothek, Munich

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Since its opening by time of Ludwig I, this building off Neue Pinakothek is the main old painting museum here. As in the other building, the collection inside is superb too. Here you find galleries devoted to flemish, french, german, dutch, spanish or italian paintings since XIIIth century to XVIII. The Renaissance and dutch collections are fantastic. There are paintings by Durer, Rubens, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Giotto, Holbein, Cranach, Fra Angelico, Lippi, Leonardo Da Vinci, Botticelli, Perugino, Ghirlandaio, Raphael, Tintoretto, Vasari, Halst, Boucher, Brueghel, Velazquez, Murillo, etc. etc.

A curious thing to see is the facade of this building, for it shows better than others the scars of war. The facade shows two different tones, two different construction materials: the older zones are stoned but others are made of brick which contrast and gives an idea of the original devastation provoked by bombing in WWII. Simply astounding.

The place is relatively small, and the 2 wings could be covered in an afternoon, or even 2 hours if one does not linger too long before the old masters. The west wing houses old German masters. The east wing contains all other European old masters, including 3 big rooms of Reubens' work!
The souvenir shop in the west wing sells mostly work in the German language; the east wing cafe serves relatively good food.

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Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) lived in Flanders (Antwerp). He is a Baroque painter whose uotput was enormous and in every genre: religin, mythology history and propaganda were all his specialties. He was tremendously popular and developed a large studio of assistants and apprentices to help him accomplish his commissions, But he was extremely particular about quality and conception. So much so that e often hired very accomplished independents to do parts of his works (especially for animals and still-life effects). These are frequently identified in today’s museums. He was a man of the world and served as a secial diplomatic agent (ambassador) but was also a family-man. Most prominent in his work are voluptuous and very active nude females who appear in various degrees of controlled abandon, which were very popular, but in his many personal works he is very effective but not very introspective. One always feels good when looking at a Rubens. Thr Bavarian rulers of this time and after were very taken byhis work, had lots of money to buy them and as a result the Pinakothek has the largest Rubens holdings in the world. Be aware that the large room which contains his work also contains other contemporary masterpieces by others.

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Besides painting Durer was expert at woodcarving and etching. He also executed fine nature studies in water color and sketching. The printing press had just come into use and he recognized the salability of works for the masses at modest price, so he is one of the earliest masters in this "mass-produced" art. The museum has more than you could assimilate. Unfortunately they are all behind glass in lighting not designed for photography; so some are not entire but I hope sharp. I left out the most famous ones. This something one rarely encounters in large numbers.

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In 1500, there was a host of great painters at work in many locations over Europe. In Bavaria, the most eminent was Albrecht Durer(1471-1528). Maximilian I (1597-1651) was a fanatic collector of Durer's work believing him to be the greatest in the world (arguably a good bet) and as befits a German (Bavarian) Museum, here is a stupendous collection. In his 20's Durer travelled twice to Venice and interacted with Giovanni Bellini (which benefitted them both). Acid was thrown over his greatest works here by a psychotic in the 1980's, and their restoration is a marvel (partly due to an immediate chemical response by the curators). Church paintings, portraits and personal religious works were a painter's stock in trade in 1500 and Durer's work is most incisive. Do you think his self-portrait was the model for his Jesus? The painting of the "4" Apostles exists as two panels and also a synthesis in a group setting. He must have received a commission and ran off the two versions.

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The Galleries are one of the top dozen Art Museums in the world. As befits a Great Bavarian Museum, it houses the largest collection of the works of a great native: Albrecht Durer (1471-1528), arguably the equal of the greatest talents of his period in Europe. (See our Associated Tip on him and his works). Coincidentally it also has the largest collection of paintings by Peter Paul Rubens (see our Tip on him too). Centering on the year 1500 the Germanies had a host of adept painters at work and the Pinakothek has a fine collection of their works. They are not as richly represented elsewhere and this is an opportunity to see them alongside contemporaries from nearby Flanders and Holland. We illustrate 4 of them here.

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The Alte Pinakothek is one of three museums in Munich's Kunstareal or Art Area, the others the New and Modern Museums covering 19th Century and Modern Art respectively. The largest number of paintings derive from the collections of the Wittelsbach dynasty, avid art collectors dating back to the 16th Century. King Ludwig I (1825-48 commissioned the building of this two story museum to consolidate the Wittelsbach holdings and specifically to house the massive Judgement Day by Rubens. Built between 1826-36, it was heavily damaged in WWII, it was opened in the 1950's.

The schools represented include German, Dutch, Flemish, Italian, French, and Spanish painters from the 13th thru 18th Centuries. The list of masters represented reads like an All-Star team of the greatest artists in history, hardly worth repeating here. The Rubens collection is the largest in Europe, dominated by the Last Judgement, one of the largest oils ever painted. Paintings of both his wives are included as well. The Annunciation, one of the most fertile legends for Italian painters (I love Annunciations), is represented by a lovely Fra Fillipo Lippi and there are several works by Beato Angelico including the Entombment of Christ. Albrecht Durer"s self portrait and his remarkable Four Apostles are displayed - the latter is of special interest. Rather than idealizing the Apostles, they look like four guys you might be seated near at a local pub, a remarkable painting. There are over 800 paintings on display. 2047 characters do not allow space to detail all the great works of art here - enough to say we had to be thrown out at closing time after three enthralling hours.

The Alte Pinakothek is a world class museum. We found it nearly deserted even on a Sunday afternoon when admission is only 1 Eu. The audio guide ( free during the week when admission is 5.5 Eu but 4 Eu on Sunday PM) is comprehensive and indispensable -highly recommended. If you have any interest in great sacred, mythologic, and master art, DO NOT MISS THIS MUSEUM.

I read that this was one of the world's most famous art galleries before I traveled to Munich for vacation in November and warned my two teenagers ahead of time that I wanted to go. I don't know much about art but I appreciate a beautiful painting and was determined to expose my kids to cultural activities. We spent a couple of hours here and I could have easily spent several more. The paintings were incredible and some were immense in size. Cheap to get in and you could pick up headsets that explained each painting in English. I especially enjoyed that as I gained a greater appreciation of the art when they pointed out what to look for. My 15 year old son actually enjoyed it though he wasnt happy about going...my 13 year old daughter was bored to tears. But they did enjoy the snowball fight on the grounds when we got out! No crowds in November. Was easy to find on my own using a map and reasonable hike from our hotel even in the cold. Nice gift shop inside.