Our Mission
The Lenbachhaus collects, conserves, studies, and presents the art of the nineteenth century, the Blauer Reiter, the New Objectivity, aswell as international contemporary art.
Its collecting activities and exhibition programming are closely coordinated and complement each other. They keep art lovers in Munich as well as international audiences abreast of major developments in the arts. The Lenbachhaus prioritizes novel and moving creative expressions over generally accepted positions. It seeks to arrange the works in its collections in forever new groups, bringing out unexpected interactions and trying out different forms of presentation while implementing an exhibition program that draws its energies from the dynamic dialogue between the new and contemporary and the solid historic foundation on which the collection rests.
Introducing broad and diverse audiences to art is an important part of what we do. Helping our visitors appreciate and engage with the art we display is no less central to our work than the classical mission of the museum.
Annual Report 2017 (PDF, German)
Annual Report 2018 (PDF, German)
Profile
The Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus is a municipal museum that resides in the historic villa of the “prince of painters” Franz von Lenbach. In 1957, Gabriele Münter gave over a thousand works by the Blue Rider artists to the Lenbachhaus, making the museum home to the single largest collection of Blue Rider art in the world. Other foci of our collection and scholarship include the art of the nineteenth century, classic modernism, postwar modernism, and contemporary art. The Lenbachhaus has been a scene of creative production since von Lenbach’s days, and we work closely with artists on a continual basis.
A museum where positions in modernism share the stage with contemporary art and local colors enhance treasures of international appeal, the Lenbachhaus is among Europe’s most popular art museums. Ambitious and diverse exhibition, art education, and event programs complement the outstanding collections.
COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIPS
The Lenbachhaus works with local and international art institutions, cultural actors, and initiatives. Our close relationships with patrons and foundations have enabled us to continually enlarge the collections and implement our programs.
