10 Beautiful Paintings In The Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich

The Pinakothek der Moderne has one of the most important collections of art, architecture, and design from the 20th and 21st centuries in the world. Stephan Braunfels built the building in 2002. It is a work of art in and of itself. It has four corners connected by a beautiful glass rotunda in the middle that makes it worth the trip just to see it. Travel Pixy picks out ten pieces from the collection that you shouldn’t miss.

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Circus, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, a German Expressionist painter who lived from 1880 to 1938, reimagined George Seurat’s painting The Circus to show how everyday life and the German bourgeoisie were at odds. In Circus, the way he put together a circus performer in the middle of an exciting horse act, the colors he used, and the rough, almost aggressive way he painted, show how much he disliked bourgeois life.

10 Beautiful Paintings In The Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich — Wrestlers in a Circus (1909) painting in high resolution by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

The Mandrill, Franz Marc

Franz Marc was born in 1880 and died in 1916. He is best known for his bright paintings of animals. He was a member of the group Blaue Reiter and one of the most important people in the German Expressionist movement. In The Mandrill, he makes a mosaic of different shapes and colors that hints at the shape of a monkey. When World War I started, Marc was called up to fight, but in 1916, the government decided to keep artists away from the front lines to protect them. Marc was killed before these rules were put in place, which is sad.

Birds Fish Snakes, Max Ernst

Max Ernst (1891–1976) made a collage by sticking random things on a piece of paper. He did this before he painted this piece. The strange way the objects are put together is meant to be meaningless, but it does show the subconscious and a different side of life. Even though the arrangement of the things in the room is strange and surprising, the pastel colors used make it feel calm.

Vollmond, Paul Klee

After World War I, cubism grew to be one of the most popular styles. Vollmond was painted by Paul Klee (1879–1940) a year after the war ended. The title means “full moon,” which comes from the bright yellow circle at the top of the painting. Klee’s abstract style was a way to get away from the war and the things that happened there.

Dancer, Oskar Schlemmer

In Dancer, which he made between 1888 and 1943, Oskar Schlemmer (1888–1943) focused on how precise dance is rather than how it moves as a whole. The stage is shown by the artist’s sharp lines, which also frame the dancer and guide the viewer’s eye. Schlemmer was able to create a charming way to move in a roundabout way.

Composition, Joan Miró

If the strange shapes and red strokes in this painting mean something, it is not clear. Joan Miró, who lived from 1893 to 1983, was known for his dreamy, abstract paintings. During Miró’s Surrealism period, he made this painting. The light blue background could represent the sky, but it’s not clear what the red and black shapes on top represent.

The Enigma of Desire – My Mother, My Mother, My Mother, Salvador Dalí

If the title doesn’t give it away, the writing on the painting does. This piece is about Dali’s mother. Salvador Dal, who lived from 1904 to 1989, is best known for the strange things he put together in his surrealist paintings. This piece is no different. In the middle of all the chaos, you can see a face on the bottom left. This could mean that the artist himself feels like he has a lot on his shoulders, as shown by the crooked body coming out of the head.

Self-Portrait, Max Beckmann

Max Beckmann was an artist who lived from 1884 to 1950. He made this painting while he was in exile in The Netherlands. The way his hands are placed in the painting shows that he feels safe, and the black suit shows that he was hiding at the time. Also, his face doesn’t show a lot of emotion, which makes it look like a mask. If this painting could be called anything else, “the man in disguise” would be it.

Self-Portrait, Andy Warhol

What would a modern art museum be without Andy Warhol, who died in 1987? This is one of over 70 different sizes and colors of his self-portraits. Because the image is washed out, the portrait makes you feel sad. But what stands out most about this self-portrait is the way the colors are used.

Buscando la Luz, Eduardo Chillida

Art Gallery, Building, Museum

This amazing sculpture by Eduardo Chillida (1924–2002) is in front of the museum. The three statues made of brass are almost eight meters tall. The big statues and empty space make a new kind of space and arrangement. The artist said that his sculptures are like music when there are gaps between the notes. Visit this piece either before or after you go to the museum.
Admission is €10 for adults, €7 for seniors and students, and €1 on Sundays.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Thursday: 10 a.m.–8 p.m.; Monday: closed

Topic: 10 Beautiful Paintings In The Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich

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