An Art Lover's Guide to Munich in 24 Hours

MUCA

The Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art is Germany’s first museum of urban art. Founded in 2016 by collector Christian Utz, MUCA focuses on artists like Shepard Fairey, Herakut, Andy Warhol, and Banksy, as well as emerging artists.

m|u|c|a – Hotterstraße 12, Munich, Germany

Museum Brandhorst

At less than ten years old, Museum Brandhorst is the new kid on the Munich art scene with permanent exhibitions including pieces by Damien Hirst, Joseph Beuys, and Andy Warhol, including his “Marilyn” portrait. Sunday entry is just €1.

Theresienstraße 35a, Munich, Germany, +49 89 238052286

Alte Pinakothek

Kick it way old school at this extremely old museum filled with even more extremely old paintings from the 14th-18th centuries. If Old Masters are your thing, the AltePinakothek has all the Bruegel, Rubens, Rembrandt, et al. that you could ever want.

Alte Pinakothek, Barer Str. 27, Munich, Germany

Insider Tips – to avoid queues, don’t go at the weekend or in the summer, and be sure to check the museum’s opening hours before setting off. Most are closed one day during the week, often, but not always, Monday.

Arts ‘N’ Boards

Uli Richter, owner of Galerie Richter & Masset has combined his gallery with a café in the Schwabing neighbourhood. In addition to the cocktails, brunch, and 21st-century versions of traditional Bavarian food, Arts ‘N’ Boards offers live music, cabaret evenings, readings, and lectures, and also, because this is Bavaria, a beer garden.

Arts ‘N’ Boards – Belgrade Str 9, Munich, Germany

Café Ludwig

Settle down to a veggie lasagne with goat cheese sauce or a BBQ steak salad all the while investigating the pieces hanging as part of the rotating art gallery in the café itself. Or if you’re approaching art overload, get a picnic basket to go, and sit in the adjacent park.

Café Ludwig – Klopstockstr. 10, Munich, Germany, +49 89 32211766

Weltraum

With one of the highest exhibition turnovers in the city, there’s always something new to look at in this gallery. On Friday evenings, there is a talk or lecture about the new pieces on display. A perfect stop for art lovers who admire things slightly off the beaten path. Their Facebook group has updates on new exhibitions.

Weltraum 26, Rumfordstrasse 26, Munich, Germany, +49 (0)175 1121 565

Barbara Gross Galerie

Snug up against the big boys in the Museum Quarter, the Barbara Gross Galerie holds its own in a building that was, at one time, a bakery. The gallery primarily presents work from artists who incorporate social and political issues into their practice, including Louise Bourgeois and Nancy Spero.

Theresienstraße 56 Hof 1, 80333 Munich, Germany

Galerie Jo van de Loo

Young German photographers such as Philip Gaisser, Arno Schidlowski, and the meteorite-obsessed Regine Petersen are represented by Jo van de Loo, who founded his gallery in 2011. Located in Maxvorstadt, between the Alte and Neue Pinakotheks, the gallery is in the perfect spot for an art lover in a hurry.

Galerie Jo van de Loo, Theresienstrasse 48, Munich, Germany, +49 (0)89 2737 4120

Public Art Munich will be curated by Joanna Warsza in 2018. The year-long project will bring together 15 international artists from from the fields of performing arts, film, opera and music, architecture, theater, and theory to create art actions about freedom of expression, transparency, whistleblowing, privacy, surveillance, and social mobilization. Temporary installations, citizen orchestras, and architectural pop-ups will be all over the city. Find out the latest on Facebook.