Frommer's Review
This is not only Munich's most important art museum, but also one of the most significant collections in Europe. The nearly 900 paintings on display (many thousands more are in storage) in this huge neoclassical building represent the greatest European artists from the 14th to the 18th century. Begun as a small court collection by the royal Wittelsbach family in the early 1500s, the artistic treasure-trove grew and grew. There are only two floors with exhibits, but the museum is immense; we do not recommend that you try to cover it all in 1 day.
The following are a few highlights. The landscape painter par excellence of the Danube school, Albrecht Altdorfer, is represented by six monumental works. Works of Albrecht Dürer include his final, and greatest, Self-Portrait (1500). Here the artist has portrayed himself with almost Christ-like solemnity. Also displayed is Dürer's last great painting, a two-paneled work called The Four Apostles (1526). Several galleries are given over to works by Dutch and Flemish masters. The St. Columba Altarpiece (1460-62), by Roger van der Weyden, is the most important of these, in size as well as significance. Measuring nearly 3m (10 ft.) across, it is a triumph of van der Weyden's subtle linear style and one of his last works (he died in 1464).
The numerous works by Rembrandt, Rubens (there are more Rubens works here than in any other museum in Europe), and van Dyck include a series of religious panels painted by Rembrandt for Prince Frederick Hendrick of the Netherlands. A variety of French, Spanish, and Italian artists are found in both the larger galleries and the small rooms lining the outer wall. The Italian masters are well represented by Fra Filippo Lippi, Giotto, Botticelli, Raphael (Holy Family), and Titian.
You'll also see a Madonna by Leonardo da Vinci, a famous self-portrait by the young Rembrandt (1629), and a number of works by Lucas Cranach, including his Venus. In the Land of Cockaigne, Pieter Brueghel has satirized a popular subject of European folk literature: the place where no work has to be done and where food simply falls into one's mouth. Note the little egg on legs running up to be eaten and the plucked and cooked chicken laying its neck on a plate. In the background, you'll see a knight lying under a roof with his mouth open, waiting for the pies to slip off the eaves over his head.
Important works are always on display, but exhibits also change. You'd be wise to buy a map of the gallery to guide you through the dozens of rooms.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
