Pinakothek Der Moderne, Munich; Part 1

I’ll be honest with you. This museum was at the lower end of my to-do list in Munich. Above it by a lot was a visit to the Neue Pinakothek in the city. That museum is one of the most important in the world for the 18th and 19th centuries. Alas, it is closed for the time being and that just means that someday I will come back to Munich to see it and the Villa Stuck, which is also closed for now. Both museums are undergoing renovations and I can’t wait to see what they accomplish.

But, I’m interested in “modern” art to some degree (and the definition varies widely from country to country). For sure I was intrigued to see what I knew would be a fine museum in Munich.

It’s new and it’s wonderful. The central courtyard is quite impressive just architecturally speaking, as you can see.

But, let’s go to the galleries and see what we can find.

Loved this exhibition space for the color alone! I wish I had had a book of paint specimens with me, cause I’d like to use this color in some room someday. But, wait…isn’t that a Picasso or 2 or 3 over there? Let’s go see!

Uh, hello Georges Braque! Lovely to see you! I’m already in heaven.

An overview of the next wall:

Hello again Braque. Love your oval oil on canvas, cubist style painting of a Woman with a Mandolin. Fantastic. I love this kind of “modern” art. I am in good hands here.

And, for a companion piece, hello Pablo Picasso! Lovely to see you to during your early Cubist period.

And between the 2 cubist works, Picasso’s portrait bust: Head of a Woman (Fernande) in bronze.

I had an interesting moment in this gallery, because I decided to make a video of the sculpture so I could remember it in the round. I made a few attempts and the guard in this room objected. I knew it was ok to take still photos, so I didn’t think a video was against the rules. But, this guard came over to me and told me I couldn’t use flash.

I had no intention of using flash, just a video in natural light. So I showed him what I was doing and there was no flash involved, and he was fine with that. I recorded it accidentally, and saved it to share with you. And, on the 3rd try, I got the video I wanted. Fab.

That kind of experience in an art museum tends to interfere with concentration. But I was back in the zone when I turned to the next wall. 3 Picassos in a group. This is indeed a good day!

Next up, Juan Gris.

Another fabulous oil on canvas from 1922. This is the kind of art that Hitler called “degenerate.” I’m obsessed with WWII history at the moment and reading a great book: The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Hitler is on my mind here in Germany. I wish he weren’t. All of the artworks in this post would have been burned by him and his cult had they been able to get their hands on them. Despicable.

I love the work of Paul Klee:

Here are a couple of close ups of this minutely painted work.

Oh, hello Henri Matisse. I do most certainly love your work!

Sometimes I take pictures of the wall labels if they are interesting to me. I find these German museums to have very thought-provoking, informational summaries that I enjoy. I can certainly relate to parts of the next label, although thank god I am not a migrant. I have left my home country, though.