History Of The Alte Pinakothek Art Museum

Located in the Kunstareal area in Munich, Germany the Alte Pinakothek Art Museum is one of the oldest galleries in the world and is home to a significant collection of old master paintings.  The gallery building was built in 1826 for the purpose of holding King Ludwig’s Wittlesbach collection, very modern in its day, the building became exemplary for museum buildings in Germany and in Europe.

During World War 2 the building was severely damaged by a bombing and was reconstructed and rebuilt, it was able to reopen its door to the public again on 7th June 1957.

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The Collection

The collection is spread over three separate galleries, The Alte Pinakothek covers collections from the 14th to the 18th century,The Neue Pinakothek covers artwork from the 19th century and the Pinakothek der Moderne exhibits modern art.  There are some truly stunning pieces on display and some of the framework housing these works of art are exquisite.  Ranging from some truly beautiful hand carved antique frames with gold leaf to some more modern frames with minimalistic design.  Below are a few of the artists work you will see on display at the Alte Pinakothek:

  • German Paintings including works by Albrecht Dürer, Holbein, Michael Pacher and Hans Baldung Grien.
  • Early Netherlandish Paintings including works by Rogier van der Weyden , Jan Gossaert, aka. Mabuse and Lucas van Leyden.
  • Dutch Paintings including works by Rembrandt van Rijn, Pieter Lastman and Jacob van Ruisdael.
  • Flemish Paintings including works by Jan Mabuse, Jacob Jordaens, Jan Brueghel the Elder, and Van Dyck.
  • Italian Paintings including works by Domenico Ghirlandaio, Guido Reni, Giotto di Bondone and Lorenzo Lotto.
  • French Paintings including works by Claude Lorrain, François Boucher and Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin.
  • Spanish Paintings including works by El Greco, Francisco de Goya and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.
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