Lenbachhaus

Lenbachhaus ranks among Munich's most important art museums and is known worldwide for its unparalleled collection of works by the "Der Blaue Reiter" artist group. Housed in the former villa of painter-prince Franz von Lenbach, the museum combines historic architecture in the style of a Florentine townhouse with a spectacular modern extension.

History of Lenbachhaus

The villa was built between 1887 and 1891 for the then highly esteemed portrait painter Franz von Lenbach, who, as the preferred artist of Munich high society and European nobility, ranked among the best-paid painters of his era. Architect Gabriel von Seidl deliberately designed the villa in the style of an Italian Renaissance townhouse, with an expansive garden and richly appointed interiors reflecting Lenbach's social status. After the painter's death, his widow sold the villa to the city of Munich in 1924, which opened it to the public as a municipal gallery in 1929. The decisive foundation for the museum's present-day world renown, however, was laid only in 1957, when painter Gabriele Münter, life partner of Wassily Kandinsky, donated a large part of her own collection along with numerous works by Kandinsky and other members of "Der Blaue Reiter" to Lenbachhaus on the occasion of her 80th birthday - one of the most significant art donations in German museum history.

Collection & Modern Extension

Thanks to Münter's donation, Lenbachhaus today holds the world's largest and most important collection of "Der Blaue Reiter" (The Blue Rider), the artist group founded in Munich in 1911 around Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, which also included August Macke, Paul Klee and Alexej von Jawlensky and is considered one of the most influential movements of German Expressionism. In 2013, star British architect Norman Foster expanded the museum with a striking, gold-shimmering cube addition, creating additional exhibition space for postwar and contemporary art and forming a deliberate architectural contrast to the historic villa.

Visitor Tips & Getting There

Lenbachhaus is located close to Königsplatz in the Kunstareal, Munich's museum quarter, and is conveniently reached via the Königsplatz subway station (U2). Given its location, a visit pairs excellently with the other museums of the Kunstareal. Current information on opening hours, admission prices and special exhibitions can be found on the museum's official website.

Nearby Attractions

Directly on Königsplatz lie the Glyptothek and the Staatliche Antikensammlungen with their significant collections of ancient art, while the Pinakothek museums - Alte Pinakothek, Neue Pinakothek and Pinakothek der Moderne - are only a few minutes' walk away in the heart of the Kunstareal. This density of first-class museums makes the area around Lenbachhaus one of the culturally richest districts in Germany.

Franz von Lenbach as an Artist

Franz von Lenbach ranked among Europe's most sought-after portrait painters in the late 19th century, portraying numerous prominent figures of his era, including Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, whose likeness Lenbach captured in numerous variations, significantly shaping the Bismarck image still familiar in public perception today. Alongside his portraiture, Lenbach himself was an avid collector of Old Master paintings, and copies and studies from that collection formed an important part of the villa's original furnishings. Beyond its world-famous "Der Blaue Reiter" collection, Lenbachhaus therefore also displays an extensive collection of 19th-century Munich painting documenting Lenbach's own work and that of his contemporaries, offering an illuminating contrast to the revolutionary art of the following generation of artists, exhibited only a few decades later in the very same rooms.

Gabriele Münter as a Trailblazer

Gabriele Münter, whose 1957 donation laid the foundation for Lenbachhaus's present-day world renown, was herself one of the most significant painters of German Expressionism and, as a co-founder of "Der Blaue Reiter", played a key role in an art movement that was strongly male-dominated in her time. Her own painterly work, characterized by bold colors and simplified forms, is also extensively represented at Lenbachhaus and is increasingly recognized today as an independent artistic contribution in its own right, apart from her long-standing relationship with Kandinsky. The fact that Münter safely preserved the works by Kandinsky and other "Blaue Reiter" artists remaining in her possession throughout the Nazi era, before eventually handing them over to Lenbachhaus, is also considered a significant act of art preservation in German cultural history.