Lenbachhaus

The Lenbachhaus isn’t your typical grand museum building; it’s a beautiful villa, originally the home of the artist Franz von Lenbach himself! The villa was built in the late 19th century, and it opened as a museum in 1929.

The key figure here is, of course, Franz von Lenbach. He was a celebrated German painter, known for his portraits of prominent figures of his time. It’s a museum in an artist’s villa! Walking through the Lenbachhaus is like stepping into the home of a 19th-century artist.

A significant event in the museum’s history, and in art history in general, is its incredible collection of works by the Blue Rider (Der Blaue Reiter) group. This avant-garde movement, including artists like Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc, Gabriele Münter, and August Macke, revolutionized early 20th-century art, and the Lenbachhaus holds one of the world’s most important collections of their paintings. The acquisition of Gabriele Münter’s extensive collection in 1957 solidified the Lenbachhaus as the place to experience the Blue Rider.