Museum Brandhorst

MUSEUM BRANDHORST: Munich’s brash new art gallery has shaken things up like a James Bond martini.

The Museum Brandhorst’s striking painterly façade has made at least as much of an impression as the works contained within it, but that’s no reason not to step inside.

Just don’t expect anything traditional here.
Like its exterior the works within the Brandhorst are all about flights of fancy, experimentation and going against the grain.

The magnificent exterior of Munich's Museum Brandhorst. helst1

What’s behind the name?

Opened in 2009 at a cost of US$64 million, this art gallery has a mega-rich lover of modern art to thank for its existence: Annette Brandhorst. She was heir to the Henkel business empire which made billions selling the likes of Persil soap powder and Schwarzkopf hair care goods.
Brandhorst’s husband, Udo Frit***z-Hermann, donated her collection to the state of Bavaria in 1999, with the condition the government provided a fitting home of the works.

Highlights of the collection:

Exploring modern art at the
Museum Brandhorst. probek

▪ American artist Cy Twombly is the star of the show. The Brandhorst has over 60 of Twombly’s works including the monumentally confusing
Lepanto, a 12-part splurge of colour housed in its own room 12-sided room. Twombly rose to prominence in Bavaria when his works were shown here during the 1972 Olympics.

▪ Andy Warhol – The Brandhorst has one of the largest Warhol collections in Europe with over 100 of his works. Crowd favourites are his "Self-Portrait" (1986) and "Natalie Wood" (1962).

▪ Waste (Twice) – British artist Damien Hirst is no stranger to controversy. He has encased a dead shark in formaldehyde and created a skull dripping with jewels – practically everyone has an opinion on his work. Hirst’s contribution at the Brandhorst is somewhat tame in comparison: Waste (Twice) (1994) comprises two steel and glass cabinets brimming with medical waste.

Other artists featured include the "magician of silence" James Lee Byars, Bruce Nauman and Mike Kelley.

The Details:

Location Theresien Strasse 35 A, 80333 Munich
Phone 089 2380 513 21
Website www.museum-brandhorst.de
Open Tue-Sun 10am – 6pm (till 8pm on Thursdays), closed Mondays.
Cost €7, concession €5, Sunday admission €1, day-pass for Munich art museums €12
Directions Take the U-Bahn line 2 to Theresienstrasse and walk 10min east, or take the "museum bus" line No.100.

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