Haus der Kunst

Munich, Germany

The Haus der Kunst is a non-collecting art museum constructed from 1933 to 1937 following plans of architect Paul Ludwig Troost as the Third Reich's first monumental structure of Nazi architecture and as Nazi propaganda. The museum was opened in 1937 as a showcase for what the Third Reich regarded as Germany's finest art. The inaugural exhibition was the Große Deutsche Kunstausstellung ('Great German art exhibition'), which was intended as an edifying contrast to the condemned modern art on display in the concurrent Degenerate art exhibition.

On 15 and 16 October 1939, the Große Deutsche Kunstausstellung inside the Haus der Deutschen Kunst was complemented by the monumental Tag der Deutschen Kunst celebration of '2,000 years of Germanic culture' where luxuriously draped floats (one of them carrying a 5 meter tall golden Nazi Reichsadler) and thousands of actors in historical costumes paraded down Prinzregentenstraße for hours in the presence of Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring, Joseph Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler, Albert Speer, Robert Ley, Reinhard Heydrich, and many other high-ranking Nazis.

After the end of World War II, the museum building was first used by the American occupation forces as an officer's mess; in that time, the building came to be known as the 'P1', a shortening of its street address. The building's original purpose can still be seen in such guises as the swastika-motif mosaics in the ceiling panels of its front portico.

Beginning in 1946, the museum rooms, now partitioned into several smaller exhibition areas, started to be used as temporary exhibition space for trade shows and visiting art exhibitions. Some parts of the museum were also used to showcase works from those of Munich's art galleries that had been destroyed during the war. In 2002, the National Collection of Modern and Contemporary Arts moved into the Pinakothek der Moderne. Today, while housing no permanent art exhibition of its own, the museum is still used as a showcase venue for temporary exhibitions and traveling exhibitions.

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Details

Founded: 1933-1937
Category: Museums in Germany
Historical period: Nazi Germany (Germany)

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Francesco Chiossi (7 months ago)
Very high quality modern art museum with interesting temporary exhibitions. Here one by Fujiko Nakaya fog sculptures. It always worths a try! One euros on Sundays and late openings till 22. There's also a nice cocktail bar behind, good for post exhibition chats!?
Yan Melody (7 months ago)
If you can only visit one museum in Munich, I would recommend Haus der Kunst. The exhibitions changed regularly. Last Sunday was the last day of Nebel Leben from Japanese artist Fujiko Nakaya. She is practitioner of Japanese video art and famous for her fog sculptures. Can sculptures only be made of clay, mental, and wood? No, the fog changes every minute depending on the wind, temperature and atmosphere. As the last, the space was packed even we entered as one of the earliest. Another impressive exhibition was the research on snow crystal, which also found a variety of form under different circumstances. At Trace and Track room, you will be able to listen the tape recorded in 20 cities. So get ready to dive into the art world for 1.5h tour during the weekend! Please pay attention that Haus der Kunst does not belong to Museum program on sunday for 1 euro.
Parvinder Phul (8 months ago)
I was lucky to have been there on the first Thursday of the month when entry was free and also having a later closing time. The exhibits were unique and inspiring, would definitely recommend a visit if you happen to be in Munich.
Hong Hanh Dinh (8 months ago)
I went here for Fujiko Nakaya’s fog installation and I really enjoyed it. Very unique medium that I’ve never seen used before in art and it really gives you the sense of mystery and ungrounded disorientation that captures the essence of her message in art.
Amit Epstein (2 years ago)
A beautiful building next to the English garden, that also has a nice Café and terrace at the back. The architecture is grand, the exhibitions are changing so I cannot recommend it generally, but most times I've visited here they had a small one, a main one and sometimes an additional one at the archive section, and I only remember one time being somewhat disappointed. Last visit was truly amazing with a retrospective to a Swiss artist I didn't know before and a group exhibition that was very sassy. Large book shop at place as well.
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