16 September 2, 2007 THE SUN-HERALD

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Art

Much to munch on
WATCH: Pinakothek der Moderne. Picture: Photolibrary.com

There’s more to Munich Flemish painters such as van Dyck and Rubens.
Also there is the Dutch master Rembrandt, the
100,000 people crushed through the doors,
with 500-metre queues forcing a temporary
It’s not only the three Pinakotheken that are
making a name for art in Munich. Other
than beer and sausages. Renaissance artists Botticelli, Raphael and
Leonardo da Vinci, and their later compatriots
closure. Within seven weeks the gallery had a
record 500,000 visitors and in its first three
galleries in the Kunstareal include the
Antikensammlung (antiquities collection), the
Erin O’Dwyer explores its Luca Giordano and El Greco. months attracted 650,000 – the best visitor modern art gallery Lenbachhaus and the newly
Next door, the Neue Pinakothek shows works numbers of a new museum worldwide. housed HypoBank Kunsthalle, which since
scintillating gallery scene. of the 18th and 19th centuries once in the Admittedly, Australians might be 2000 has staged several staggering exhibitions
collection of King Ludwig I. Landscapes and disappointed by the Euro-centric, male- including 20th-century realism and Italian
historical paintings by the German Romance dominated and decidedly German take on still-life painter Caravaggio.

T
HOSE confounding Germans. Just when painters and pre-impressionists hang alongside art. There are few women painters and only The highlight though is undoubtedly the
you think you can pick a kolsch from a later acquisitions from Renoir, van Gogh, one Australian: Bavarian State Collection Moderne. What it aims to do, it does well. It
pilsener, or a bratwurst from a Gauguin, Matisse, Rodin, and the Austrian deputy director-general Professor Carla devotes space to the modern and lets the art
blutwurst, they’ll want you to pick Gustav Klimt. Schulz-Hoffman recently bought 10 Tracey speak for itself.
Beethoven from Bach. Big sister Moderne, costing A121million Moffatt photographics, which have been Perhaps most precious is the Moderne’s
So when Germany’s new art gallery, ($200million) and taking six years to build, displayed alongside Sam Taylor-Wood and collection of works on paper. Bavaria has
Pinakothek der Moderne, opened in 2002 with sprawls across more than 50 rooms on three Rineke Dijkstra. 400,000 sheets dating from the 15th century.
much fanfare in Munich, old men in lederhosen levels. Designed by German architect Stephan ‘‘I always hoped that Oktoberfest was only They were once shown periodically at the Neue
wandered among the Warhols and Picassos and Braunfels, the building hosts four galleries in one of the events Munich was famous for,’’ Pinakothek. Now they are permanently housed
international art critics sniggered into their one – art, design, architecture and works on Schulz-Hoffmann tells me in her crisp, in the Moderne, and the works include
champagne. Silly them. paper. It’s quite a sight to behold. flawless English. doodlings by Dali, Picasso, Marc, Klee and
Since then the black-skivvy set has The first floor, with skylights to display the ‘‘In terms of culture Munich is really George Grosz. They are pieces the artists never
swallowed its pride and the gallery has gained works in natural light, features an unrivalled enormous – you have lots of museums and expected to be framed and hung, yet offer an
serious art cred. collection of German expressionists, galleries, castles and architecture – but what I insight into how and why they worked.
The New York Times believes the gallery has including Max Beckmann, and painters from always feel makes the charm of Munich is that On one recent visit I found an intriguing
claim as one of the top art destinations in Die Brucke and the Blauer Reiter schools. everything is within walking distance.’’ collection of six postcards by Marc. They were
Europe. And The New Yorker has described the Oskar Schlemmer, Lyonel Feininger, Lovis painted while on holiday and sent to a friend.
Moderne as a mega-boutique gallery – worthy Corinth and Henri Manguin are all there. Schulz-Hoffman points out the strong The intimate postcards, and the delight they
of comparison to the Guggenheim and better The surrealists are represented by Salvador American presence but acknowledges that few created on every face that saw them, was a
than London’s Tate Modern. Dali, Magritte, Picasso, Max Ernst and English speakers are represented overall. The clear reminder of why even in dire economic
‘‘One can view the creative wares of the 20th Giorgio de Chirico, and there are post-1960s reality is that the gallery’s focus is on painting. times, a single city has poured millions into art
century, amid a lively debate over the nature of works by Sigmar Polke, Francis Bacon, And any canon of the past 100 years must, of for art’s sake.
modernity,’’ the magazine gushed. Gerhard Richter, Georg Baselitz and Willem course, start with Franz Marc, Wassily
In a city best known for its Oktoberfest, de Kooning. Installations and pieces by Bruce Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Rene Magritte and Pablo
Picasso. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Max
a multimillion-dollar modern art gallery Nauman, Andy Warhol and Joseph Beuys
Beckmann have entire rooms to themselves. >TRIP NOTES
might come as a surprise. It shouldn’t. There complete the picture.
are now three Pinakotheken – the old, the Downstairs it’s a change of scenery. Schulz-Hoffmann believes the enormous ■ Qantas flies regularly to Munich. To
new, and the modern – which make up Architecture enthusiasts will find detailed popularity of the museum is down to get to the art precinct take tram No.27
Munich’s stunning visual arts precinct. drawings dating from the 1500s, and a series combining the four collections under the one from Karlsplatz to Pinakothek or the
Known as the Kunstareal, it offers visitors a of 20th- century models that celebrate roof. ‘‘We don’t try to show our paintings like U-bahn line U2 or U8 to Konigsplatz.
virtual tour from the Middle Ages to now. architectural feats, including the Sydney a stamp collection, having one stamp or one ■ Standard entry: Alte ¤5.50 adult,
To begin in chronological order, the Alte Opera House. painter from each country,’’ she says. ¤4 concession; Neue ¤4/3; Moderne
Pinakothek (from pinacotheca meaning The design quarter traverses art nouveau, the ‘‘We try to focus instead on the major artists ¤9/6.
picture gallery) has a who’s who of avant-garde of the 1920s, post-war we have in the collection. We try to build up ■ Sunday entry: ¤1 for each museum.
international artists from the 1400s to early functionalism, pop art design and the a dialogue to emphasise among fewer artists www.pinakothek.de.
1800s. The German Albrecht Durer hangs near computer age. In its first weekend alone some of the problems in 20th-century art.’’
TRV
TRV 016