Author Description

The Pinakothek der Moderne is the third in a group of major galleries housing the Bavarian Art Collections in Munich. As a museum dedicated to the art of the twentieth century, it is modelled along the lines of famous Museum of Modern Art in New York and provides a broad platform for presenting the holdings of four separate state institutions previously scattered around the city. [...] Architect Stephan Braunfels has accomodated the individual needs of these four collections, exercising remarkable versatility within the framework of a stringently organised floor plan. The building features rooms with ceiling heights that vary from half a level to three full storeys. Walls of extreme length or height make it possible to display an enormous range of picture formats. There are square, rectangular and circular units, intimate cabinets, spacious rooms and vast halls free of pillars or supports, where an entire temporary exhibition can be mounted. The focus of the composition is an enormous rotunda with cupola, reminiscent of the central pillared hall of Schinkel's Altes Museum in Berlin, which does not merely pander to the wish for prestigious representation, but which actually plays an important functionnal role within the complex as a whole, forming an entrance and reception hall and central access area. [...]