Bavarian State Painting Collections

The Bavarian State Painting Collections brings together one of Europe's great assemblies of art, spread across Munich's celebrated Pinakothek museums. Here, painting is not presented as a distant timeline but as a vivid journey, from medieval altarpieces and Renaissance masters to bold modern experiments. A visit feels expansive and intimate at once: grand galleries open onto quiet moments with works that have shaped the history of European art.

The best-known sites in the collection are the Alte Pinakothek, Neue Pinakothek, and Pinakothek der Moderne, each with its own atmosphere. In the Alte Pinakothek, visitors encounter Rubens, Dürer, Raphael, and Rembrandt in rooms designed for slow looking. The modern collections shift the mood entirely, inviting you into the color, energy, and restless ideas of the 19th and 20th centuries.

What makes this institution especially rewarding is its range. You can move from devotional panel paintings to Romantic landscapes, from glittering court portraits to works that challenge what painting can be. The buildings themselves add to the experience, combining historic gravitas with light-filled contemporary spaces.

Whether you come with deep art knowledge or simple curiosity, the Bavarian State Painting Collections offers countless ways to look closely, compare eras, and discover a favorite unexpected masterpiece.