Neue Pinakothek

About

Beside the Alte Pinakothek in Munich stood the Neue Pinakothek, built by King Ludwig I of Bavaria to house his collection of contemporary art. Designed by Friedrich von Gärtner and built by August von Voit, the first building opened in October 1853 and was considered the world's first collection devoted purely to modern, contemporary art. That building burned to the ground in American air raids in July 1944; most of the artworks had already been evacuated, but the ruins were demolished in 1949 and the site sat empty for nearly three decades. Alexander von Branca won a design competition in 1966–67 to rebuild it, and the new postmodern building opened in March 1981. Its collection spans roughly 6,000 works of European art from the late 18th to the early 20th century, from Goya and David through van Gogh and Cézanne. The building has been closed since January 1, 2019 for a comprehensive renovation, with reopening planned for 2029. In the meantime, a selection of key works can be seen on the ground floor of the neighboring Alte Pinakothek and at the Sammlung Schack. For now, visitors have to follow the collection rather than the building.