Quick Guide for the best Art Museums in Germany: Are you traveling in Germany and are looking for the best cultural experiences? Some art museums are never wrong, and the arts in Germany could really inspire you.
If you want to explore some of the world’s most important collections of European paintings, you should definitely take a cultural trip to Germany. Have a look at our top picks of the many great art museums Germany has to offer.
Of course, you have to hit Berlin and it’s famous art galleries, but here are a few other places to add to your cultural bucket list as well, and they are spread around the entire country. If you are looking for art museums in Cologne, we found two of the most outstanding art museums in Germany except that, we have also found amazing art museums in Bremen, Hannover, and Frankfurt, so read on! Arts in Germany definitely deserves a spot, and here we cover that in detail.
Art museums in Germany – the top 10 list
Which are the best art museums in Germany?
- Berlinische Galerie
- Paula Modersohn-Becker Museum
- Museum Ludwig
- Urban Nation
- Alte Pinakothek
- Gemäldegalerie
- Wallraf-Richartz-Museum
- The Center for Art and Media Technology ZKM
- Sprengel Museum
- MMK Museum of Modern Art
#10 Berlinische Galerie (Berlin)
If you are looking for Berlin’s most important modern art collections, you should definitely visit The Berlinische Galerie. This museum has a very convenient location, sitting by the former Berlin Wall between chic Mitte and cool Kreuzberg.
On Mondays most museums are closed – but not the Berlinische Galerie. And if you arrive on the first Monday of the month, you will also receive a discount. The Berlin Welcome Card also entitles you to discounts.
Source: Visitberlin.de
#9 Paula Modersohn-Becker Museum (Bremen)
Have you ever heard of Paula Modersohn-Becker (1876-1907)? She is recognized as the first known female painter to paint nude self-portraits. Modersohn-Becker was a German painter and one of the most important representatives of early expressionism. She was an important member of the artistic movement of modernism at the start of the twentieth century. Paula Modersohn-Becker Museum is actually the first museum in the world dedicated to the works of a female painter.
The building is the work of Bernhard Hoetger, the creative mind behind much of Böttcherstrasse. The combined ticket also includes admission to the Roselius-Haus Museum.
Source: Lonelyplanet.com
#8 Museum Ludwig (Cologne)
Most significant is its collection of American Pop Art, the most extensive and important collection located outside of the United States. Visitors will be captivated by works by Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Indiana.Source: Nrw-tourism.com
#7 Urban Nation (Berlin)
Minority Nomad writes: I made sure to stop in Berlin and check out the beautiful Urban Nation Museum. The worlds first true Graffiti and subculture museum. Celebrating the work of noted artists such as Banksy, Blek le Rat, and Sandra Chevrier. A must visit for any art lover.
Giving Urban Contemporary Art a platform is the aim of the Urban Nation Museum opened in 2017 in Berlin-Schöneberg. The idea is to bring together artists from around the world, to foster young talents, to bring urban art to a large audience and to be an archive of this temporary art form.Source: Museumsportal-berlin.de
#6 Alte Pinakothek (Munich)
The collection is made up of different artistic styles. Firstly there is the northern Baroque painting, which comes from the fusion of the collections from the principalities of the Kurss-Kurpfalz and Pfalz-Zweibrücken dynasties. Secondly, there is a small but exquisite selection of paintings from the Cinquecento, brought together to save them from the pillaging of the Napoleonic Empire. Finally there is a collection of foreign works.Source: Artehistoria.com
#5 Gemäldegalerie (Berlin)
Gemäldegalerie is the best place to visit for you those love paintings by many of the most important artists who lived in Europe from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. It reflects an interesting look at the history of Europe, including the last centuries’ political events. If you are a fan of Albrecht Dürer, Jan van Eyck, Rembrandt, and Vermeer, this art museum is definitely for you. Gemäldegalerie is located close to the Neue Nationalgalerie and not far from Potsdamer Platz. This museum is houses more than 3500 artworks.
In the Renaissance section, Caravaggio’s Amor Victorious is exhibited alongside Sacred Love Versus Profane Love by Giovanni Baglione. The two paintings are archaeologically linked; after hearing of the disreputable portrayal of the theme in “love conquers all” in the work of Caravaggio, a Roman bishop commissioned Giovanni Baglione’s reply, which mimics the style of Caravaggio, with the features of Amor.
Source: Berolinart.com
#4 Wallraf-Richartz-Museum (Cologne)
If you love medieval paintings, you should definitely check out the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum. But there is more. The highlights of the collection are the German painting, though it includes fine artworks from most other western European countries as well. The museum also has collections of graphic arts and sculpture. In 1957 a research library was opened that now has over 130,000 volumes.
All the marquee names are here – Rubens and Rembrandt to Manet and Monet – along with a prized sampling of medieval art, most famously Stefan Lochner’s Madonna in Rose Bower, nicknamed the ‘Mona Lisa of Cologne’.
Source: Lonelyplanet.com
#3 The Center for Art and Media Technology ZKM (Karlsruhe)
This is the place where traditional forms of art and new media technologies meet. Everything from painting, photography to sculpture and time-based arts such as film, video, media art, music, dance, theater, and performance. By combining archived works and collections, production and research, exhibitions and events, mediation and documentation, the ZKM illustrates art’s development in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, according to Apollo.io
Through multiple of exhibitions and events held throughout the year, the ZKM provides insights into the range of projects developed at the ZKM, cultural history, and also cutting-edge developments in art, music, culture, politics, economy, and technology.
Source: digitalmeetsculture.net
#2 Sprengel Museum (Hannover)
Ready to explore one of the most important collections of modern arts in Germany? If you like abstract and conceptual art, then you should definitely visit the Sprengel Museum. This museum is focusing on German Expressionism and French Modernism, with its comprehensive permanent collection and diverse temporary exhibitions. The famous museum of modern arts first opened its doors in 1979 with a building complex that expanded multiple times over the decades to give space for a constantly growing collection. We would say it is one of the most important museums of the 20th and 21st-century art!
A special attraction of the Sprengel Museum Hannover, are its rooms designed by artists. Among the most famous are the reconstruction of the legendary Merzbau by Kurt Schwitters and the light rooms of James Turrell. In the past 30 years, the museum has been expanded to include major trends after 1945, including works by Andy Warhol, Alexander Calder, Gerhard Richter and Sigmar Polke. In addition, photography has become an important focus.
Source: niedersachsen-tourism.com
#1 MMK Museum of Modern Art (Frankfurt)
Frankfurt is famous for its contemporary art, and this museum is exactly what the city needed! MMK Museum of Modern Art constitutes an essential part of the cultural life in Frankfurt. If you want to discover works from all over the world from the 1960s to the present day, the MMK Museum of Modern Art is for you. They have dedicated extra space for the European and American collections. Here you will find masterpieces by Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Paul Almasy, and Morris Louis, just to mention a few of the artists. The amazing collections are made up of paintings, sculptures, photographies and much more.
The Viennese architect Hans Hollein has succeeded in structuring the building on the triangular site so intelligently that a walk through the museum becomes a special experience. The sequence of connections, transitions and views between the exhibition spaces, the relationship of the individual spaces to each other, as well as the optimal lighting are already extraordinary.
Source: www.frankfurt-tipp.de
Did you find your favorite art museums in Germany on our list?
Are you amazed by all the amazing arts in Germany? What do you think of our list? Did we cover the best art museums in Munich, Berlin, Hannover, Bremen, and Cologne? Did you miss some important cities of arts in Germany? Do you miss any important art galleries on the list? We want your comments about the arts in Germany. Let us know, and remember to like, share and comment on social media.
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