The Alte Pinakothek (, ''Old Pinakothek'') is an

art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own Collection (artwork), collection. It might be in public or private ownership, be accessible to all, or have restrictions in place. Although ...

located in the Kunstareal area in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, Germany. It is one of the oldest galleries in the world and houses a significant collection of Old Master paintings. The name Alte (Old) Pinakothek refers to the time period covered by the collection—from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century. The Neue Pinakothek, re-built in 1981, covers nineteenth-century art, and Pinakothek der Moderne, opened in 2002, exhibits modern art. All three galleries are part of the Bavarian State Painting Collections, an organization of the Free state of Bavaria.

The building

History of the building

The Alte Pinakothek was the largest museum in the world and structurally and conceptually well advanced through the convenient accommodation of skylights for the cabinets. Even the Neo-Renaissance exterior of the Pinakothek clearly stands out from the castle-like museum type common in the early 19th century. It is closely associated with the function and structure of the building as a museum. Very modern in its day, the building became exemplary for museum buildings in Germany and in Europe after its inauguration in 1836, and thus became a model for new galleries like the

Hermitage Museum The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and holds the large ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, and galleries in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, Brussels and

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...

. King Ludwig I of Bavaria ordered Leo von Klenze to erect a new building for the gallery for the Wittelsbach collection in 1826. Georg von Dillis, gallery inspector and close confidant of Ludwig I, influenced the project through conservation requirements and practical experience from museum operations. The construction period lasted from 1826 to 1836. The Alte Pinakothek is a free-standing solid building measuring 150 meters inlength, 50 meters in width, and 25 meters in height. The narrow central building is flanked to the east and west by broader wings. The one-meter-thickmasonry was faced with yellow, polished bricks. Although the south façadewas designed as the main façade, the entrance was located on the east side of the building. A gateway on the south side divided the building into two identical halves. After damage to the paintings occurred in 1841 due to the installed air heating system, endless discussions about the preservation of the building, along with insufficient financial means for maintenance, led to a gradual deterioration. The installation of a new heating system in 1891 improved the overall condition of the Alte Pinakothek. At the same time, the gypsum floors were replaced with parquet, and the skylights received new glazing. At the beginning of the 20th century, electric lighting was introduced for the first time, and isolated technical modernizations were carried out.9 During the Nazi era, the building was used for propaganda purposes - including exhibitions that were staged within ideological programs. The museum building was severely damaged by bombing in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

: the walls were burnt out, and a 45-meter-wide hole remained in the center. The area in front of the south façade was used as a rubble depot. After long disagreement about the viability of reconstruction, it finally began in 1952 under the direction of Hans Döllgast and was completed in 1957. It was reopened to the public on 7 June 1957, with President

Theodor Heuss Theodor Heuss (; 31 January 1884 – 12 December 1963) was a German liberal politician who served as the first president of West Germany from 1949 to 1959. His civil demeanour and his cordial nature – something of a contrast to German nati ...

attending. Director Ernst Buckner oversaw the rebuilding project, ensuring that the building remained true to its original architecture. The ornate, pre-war interior, including the large loggia facing the south façade in the upper floor, was not restored. In the 1990s, the building underwent a fundamental renovation and modernization under the direction of Winfried Nerdinger. Between 1994 and 1998, the climate control system was renewed in particular to meet the conservation requirements of the artworks. At the same time, new exhibition technologies were introduced, while the design of the façades and gallery halls remained unchanged.In 2007, another comprehensive renovation concept was initiated, which included measures for energy efficiency and improvements to the indoor climate. A new wall covering was created in 2008 for the rooms on the upper floor of the Alte Pinakothek with a woven and dyed silk from Lyon. The new color scheme of green and red draws on the design of the rooms dating back to the time of construction of the Alte Pinakothek, and was predominant until the 20th century. Already for King Ludwig I and his architect Leo von Klenze, the use of a wall covering alternately in red and green represented the continuation of a tradition that dates back to the exhibition of the old masters of the late 16th century in many of the major art galleries of Europe (Florence, London, Madrid, St. Petersburg, Paris, Vienna).

Restoration Interventions

Since the construction of the Alte Pinakothek, changes have been made to the museum building almost continuously. These were particularly aimed at optimizing the indoor climate in order to improve the conditions for the preservation of the artworks. The 190-year history of the Alte Pinakothek is closely linked to the development of preventive conservation. During the Second World War, the Alte Pinakothek was damaged by multiple attacks: in 1943, the roof and the ceilings of the upper halls were hit by incendiary bombs. In April 1944, the exhibition rooms and staircases completely burned out. The museum building was finally destroyed in December 1944, when an aerial mine tore it open across 45 meters in the middle. In the following years, the ruin suffered further damage from rain, wind, and frost. Looters stole everything of value that had remained after the end of the war. During the clearing work, the Alte Pinakothek eventually became a dumping ground for rubble, which caused further damage to the building itself, as the rubble exerted significant pressure on the remaining outer walls and released moisture. In the following years, various solutions were discussed: demolition and new construction, reconstruction, gutting and preservation as a memorial, and integration into a new building complex. In February 1952, it was finally agreed to preserve the Alte Pinakothek as a cultural monument and to rebuild it under the direction of architect Hans Döllgast. He rejected a reconstruction; the traces of destruction were not to be concealed but left visible. The remaining brickwork was integrated into the reconstruction. Döllgast refrained from smoothing or covering the damage to the masonry and instead made it part of the new architectural language. The damaged central tract was not reconstructed in a historicizing manner but was simplified using rubble bricks that could be integrated into the existing masonry without breaking format. The added masonry stood out visibly from the old masonry, so the addition remained permanently recognizable. The old windows and arches were reshaped with selective use of concrete without any ornamentation. Meander bands and window parapets were also reproduced in simplified concrete forms. The structure of the existing façade was taken up by the originally provisional steel columns, which, in the rebuilt part of the façade, adapted to the rhythm of the Ionic columns. The alignment of the new wall surface was set back by half a brick length from the existing structure. The bricking-up of some windows in the upper floor of the cross buildings resulted from the desire to enlarge the hanging surfaces for paintings. For the roof, initially the most important element to protect the ruin from weather- related decay, Döllgast designed glazed gabled roofs made of wood over the central nave and the cross tracts. The skylight band followed the slope of the roof and could be flexibly adjusted for optimal lighting. The covering of the side aisles with shed roofs expressed the change in orientation. To construct the roof, consoles had to be built at the upper end of the wall to compensate for the outward displacement of the exterior walls caused by the blast pressure of the bombs. Due to changed fire safety regulations, the roof was converted into hipped roofs during the first renovations after Döllgast‘s reconstruction. Although Hans Döllgast originally envisioned a narrow staircase leaning against the outer wall to preserve the old structure of the loggia, the client wanted a more monumental design: for this, the still-existing arches between the outer and inner wall had to be removed. Instead of vaults, a new concrete ceiling was inserted and the pilasters were extended to the new ceiling. With the new staircase, the circulation and layout of the Alte Pinakothek were completely changed. The main entrance was relocated to the north side, so the access now ran exclusively along the length. This was particularly desirable because the former loggia had usually been closed due to strong light and temperature differences caused by the southern exposure. With the circulation concept, the spatial concept was also adapted: the interior spaces were simplified, restored without original ornamentation, and covered with shallow vaults. While Döllgast envisioned barrel vaults for the interiors, a consulting committee ultimately decided on shallow vaults, in reference to the pre-war period. The Alte Pinakothek was reopened in June 1957, but was not completely rebuilt on the inside until November 1963. Particular attention was paid to the details of the interior design for a long time. Since 1998, numerous interventions for renovation, adaptation, and preventive conservation have been carried out on the Alte Pinakothek, as unfavorable climatic conditions and electrical deficiencies were identified through monitoring with thermohygrographs. A detailed building physics analysis was subsequently conducted, which served as the basis for all further interventions. In 2008, the fundamental renovation of the roof began. This included measures for thermal insulation, sealing, and the integration of a lightning protection system. At the same time, the skylights were renewed with UV-protective glasses. From 2008 to 2009, the energy optimization of all windows took place in two renovation phases; they were fitted with UV filters and improved thermal insulation. Subsequently, all lighting was converted to LED technology. The fabric-covered dust ceiling glass was replaced with energy-optimized glass and additionally equipped with an integrated shading system. Despite these interventions, active ventilation of the attic remains necessary to counteract summer temperature peaks and prevent substantial damage to the building structure. By 2013, all façades had also been comprehensively cleaned and repointed to prevent moisture-related damage in particular. From 2014 to 2015, the central building services were technically renewed, especially the ventilation systems, which were brought up to the latest standards to meet the conservation requirements for the indoor climate. The interventions were deliberately carried out in stages and while maintaining museum operations. Since July 2018, all exhibition rooms have been fully accessible to the public again.

History

The Wittelsbach collection was begun by Duke Wilhelm IV (1508–1550) who ordered important contemporary painters to create several history paintings, including '' The Battle of Alexander at Issus'' of Albrecht Altdorfer. Elector Maximilian I (1597–1651) commissioned in 1616 four hunt paintings from

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...

and acquired many other paintings, especially the work of

Albrecht Dürer Albrecht Dürer ( , ;; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer or Duerer, was a German painter, Old master prin ...

. He even obtained '' The Four Apostles'' in the year 1627 due to pressure on the

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

city fathers. A few years later however 21 paintings were confiscated and moved to Sweden during the occupation of Munich in the Thirty Years war. Maximilian's grandson Maximilian II Emanuel (1679–1726) purchased a large number of Dutch and Flemish paintings when he was Governor of the

Spanish Netherlands The Spanish Netherlands (; ; ; ) (historically in Spanish: , the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556 to 1714. They were a collection of States of t ...

. So he bought for example in 1698 in Antwerp from Gisbert van Colen 12 pictures of Peter Paul Rubens and 13 of Van Dyck, with the pictures of Rubens from the personal estate of the artist which were therefore not intended for sale. Under Max Emanuel's successors, the purchases were largely discontinued due to the tight budget. Also Max Emanuel's cousin Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine (1690–1716) collected Netherlandish paintings. He ordered from Peter Paul Rubens '' The Big Last Judgment'' and received

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), now generally known in English as Raphael ( , ), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of paintings by Raphael, His work is admired for its cl ...

's '' Canigiani Holy Family'' as a dowry of his wife. Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria (1742–1799) had a strong preference for Netherlandish paintings as well, among other paintings he acquired

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

's ''The Holy Family''. By the late 18th century a large number of the paintings were displayed in Schleissheim Palace, and accessible to the public. Alte Pinakothek-Saal IX

After the reunion of

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

and the

Electorate of the Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate was a Imperial State, constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire until it was annexed by the Electorate of Baden in 1803. From the end of the 13th century, its ruler was one of the Prince-electors who elected the Holy ...

in 1777, the galleries of

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...

, Düsseldorf and

Zweibrücken Zweibrücken (; ; , ; literally translated as "Two Bridges") is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach (Blies), Schwarzbach River. Name The name ''Zweibrücken'' means 'two bridges'; older forms of the name include Middl ...

were moved to Munich, in part to protect the collections during the wars which followed the French revolution. Even though 72 paintings including ''The Battle of Alexander at Issus'' were taken to Paris in 1800 by the invading armies of

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

(1769–1821),Alte Pinakothek, pp. 24–29 who was a noted admirer of Alexander the Great. The

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

held it until 1804, when Napoleon declared himself Emperor of France and took it for his own use. When the Prussians captured the Château de Saint-Cloud in 1814 as part of the

War of the Sixth Coalition In the War of the Sixth Coalition () (December 1812 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation (), a coalition of Austrian Empire, Austria, Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia, Russian Empire, Russia, History of Spain (1808– ...

, they supposedly found the painting hanging in Napoleon's bathroom.Wood, p. 22 Most of the paintings have not been returned. With the

secularisation In sociology, secularization () is a multilayered concept that generally denotes "a transition from a religious to a more worldly level." There are many types of secularization and most do not lead to atheism or irreligion, nor are they automatica ...

many paintings from churches and former monasteries entered into state hands. King Ludwig I of Bavaria collected especially Early German and Early Dutch paintings but also masterpieces of the Italian renaissance. In 1827 he acquired the collection Boisserée with 216 Old German and Old Dutch masters; in 1828, the king managed to also purchase the collection of the Prince Wallerstein, with 219 Upper German and Upper Swabian paintings. In 1838 Johann Georg von Dillis issued the first catalogue. After the times of King Ludwig I the acquisitions almost ended. Only from 1875 the directors Franz von Reber and Hugo von Tschudi secured important new acquisitions, such as the '' Madonna of the Carnation'' of

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

and ''The Disrobing of Christ'' of

El Greco Doménikos Theotokópoulos (, ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco (; "The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance, regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time. ...

. The predilection of the Wittelsbach rulers for some painters made the collection quite strong in those areas but neglected others. Since the 1960s the Pinakothek has filled some of these gaps: for example, a deficit of 18th-century paintings was addressed by the integration into the collection of works loaned from two Bavarian banks. Among these paintings were

Nicolas Lancret Nicolas Lancret (; 22 January 1690 – 14 September 1743) was a List of French artists, French painter. Born in Paris, he was a brilliant depicter of light comedy which reflected the tastes and manners of French society during the Régence, regen ...

's ''The Bird Cage'' and

François Boucher François Boucher ( , ; ; 29 September 1703 – 30 May 1770) was a French painter, draughtsman and etcher, who worked in the Rococo style. Boucher is known for his idyllic and voluptuous paintings on classical themes, decorative allegories ...

's ''Madame Pompadour''. In April 1988, the serial

vandal The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vandal ...

Hans-Joachim Bohlmann splashed acid on three paintings by Albrecht Dürer, namely ''Lamentation for Christ'', ''Paumgartner Altar'' and ''Mater Dolarosa'' inflicting damage estimated at 35 million euros. In 1990 Dierick Bouts' ''Ecce agnus dei'' was acquired. On 5 August 2014, the museum rejected a request by a descendant of the banker Carl Hagen for the repatriation of Jacob Ochtervelt's ''Das Zitronenscheibchen'' (''The Lemon Slice'') on the grounds that it had been unlawfully acquired as a result of Nazi persecution. An investigation by the museum established that it had been lawfully purchased at the time for a fair price and that the Hagen family's interest extended only to a security on the painting.

Collection

The museum is under the supervision of the Bavarian State Painting Collections which also owns an expanded collection of several thousand European paintings from the 13th to 18th centuries. Especially its collection of Early Italian, Old German, Old Dutch and Flemish paintings is one of the most important in the world. More than 800 of these paintings are exhibited at the Old Pinakothek. Due to limited space in the building, some associated galleries throughout Bavaria such as the baroque galleries in Schleissheim Palace and Neuburg Palace additionally have works by the Old Masters on display. From 2014 through 2017, wings of the museum were sequentially closed for renovation, and the artworks in closed sections were unavailable for viewing. * German paintings 14th–17th century: :The Alte Pinakothek comes with the most comprehensive collection of German Old Masters worldwide. Among many others, the Pinakothek shows works of

Stefan Lochner Stefan Lochner (the ''Dombild Master'' or ''Master Stefan''; c. 1410 – late 1451) was a German painter working in the late International Gothic period. His paintings combine that era's tendency toward long flowing lines and brilliant colours ...

(''Adoration of the Christ Child by the Virgin (The Nativity)''), Michael Pacher (''Altarpiece of the Church Fathers''), Martin Schongauer (''Holy Family''),

('' The Four Apostles'', ''Paumgartner Altar'', ''

Self-Portrait Self-portraits are Portrait painting, portraits artists make of themselves. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, the practice of self-portraiture only gaining momentum in the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century ...

''), Hans Baldung Grien (''Margrave Christoph of Baden''), Albrecht Altdorfer ('' The Battle of Issus''), Cranach ('' Lamentation Beneath the Cross''), Holbein (St. Sebastian Altar; Central panel: ''Martyrdom of St. Sebastian''),

Matthias Grünewald Matthias Grünewald ( – 31 August 1528; also known as Mathis Gothart Nithart) was a German Renaissance painter of religious works who ignored Renaissance classicism to continue the style of late medieval Central European art into the 16th cent ...

(''SS. Erasmus und Maurice''),

Hans von Aachen Hans von Aachen (1552 – 4 March 1615) was a German painter who was one of the leading representatives of Northern Mannerism. Hans von Aachen was a versatile and productive artist who worked in many genres. He was successful as a painter of p ...

(''The Triumph of Truth''), Adam Elsheimer ('' The Flight into Egypt''), and Johann Liss (''Death of Cleopatra''). * Early Netherlandish paintings 15th–16th century: :One of the most impressive collections worldwide especially for

Early Netherlandish painting Early Netherlandish painting is the body of work by artists active in the Burgundian Netherlands, Burgundian and Habsburg Netherlands during the 15th- and 16th-century Northern Renaissance period, once known as the Flemish Primitives. It flour ...

s with masterpieces like Vera Icon (van Eyck) and other exceptional paintings for example of

Rogier van der Weyden Rogier van der Weyden (; 1399 or 140018 June 1464), initially known as Roger de le Pasture (), was an Early Netherlandish painting, early Netherlandish painter whose surviving works consist mainly of religious triptychs, altarpieces, and commis ...

('' Saint Columba altarpiece''), Dieric Bouts (''Ecce Agnus Dei''), Lucas van Leyden (''Virgin and Child with Mary Magdalen and a Donor''),

Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (; ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch people, Dutch painter from Duchy of Brabant, Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, gene ...

('' Fragment from the Last Judgment''),

Hans Memling Hans Memling (also spelled Memlinc; – 11 August 1494) was a German-Flemish people, Flemish painter who worked in the tradition of Early Netherlandish painting. Born in the Middle Rhine region, he probably spent his childhood in Mainz. During ...

(''The Seven Joys of the Virgin''), and Jan Gossaert, aka. Mabuse (''Danae''). * Dutch paintings 17th–18th century: :Due to the passion of the Wittelsbach rulers this section contains numerous exquisite paintings. Among the masters are Rembrandt van Rijn ('' The Descent from the Cross'', ''The Holy Family''),

Frans Hals Frans Hals the Elder (, ; ; – 26 August 1666) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He lived and worked in Haarlem, a city in which the local authority of the day frowned on religious painting in places of worship but citizens liked to decorate thei ...

(''Portrait of Willem Croes''), Pieter Lastman (''Odysseus and Nausikaa''),

Carel Fabritius Carel Pietersz. Fabritius (; bapt. 27 February 1622 – 12 October 1654) was a Dutch painter. He was a pupil of Rembrandt and worked in his studio in Amsterdam. Fabritius, who was a member of the Delft School, developed his own artistic style ...

(''Self-Portrait''), Gerard Terborch (''The Flea-Catcher (Boy with His Dog)''),

Jacob van Ruisdael Jacob Isaackszoon van Ruisdael (; 1629 – 10 March 1682) was a Dutch painter, draughtsman, and etcher. He is generally considered the pre-eminent landscape painter of the Dutch Golden Age, a period of great wealth and cultural achie ...

(''Torrent with Oak Trees'') and many others. * Flemish paintings 16th–18th century: :The collection contains masterpieces of painters like Jan Mabuse (''Danae''),

Pieter Brueghel the Elder Pieter Bruegel (also Brueghel or Breughel) the Elder ( , ; ; – 9 September 1569) was among the most significant artists of Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, a painter and printmaking, printmaker, known for his landscape art, landscape ...

(''Harbour Scene with Christ Preaching'', '' The Land of Cockaigne''), Jan Brueghel the Elder (''Harbour Scene with Christ Preaching''),

('' Rubens and Isabella Brant in the Honeysuckle Bower'', '' The Fall of the Damned'', '' The Great Last Judgement''), van Dyck ('' Deposition'', ''Self-Portrait'', ''Susanna and the Elders''),

Jacob Jordaens Jacques (Jacob) Jordaens (19 May 1593 – 18 October 1678Jacques Jordaens
in the Netherlands Institute for Ar ...

(''Satyr with Peasants'') and Adriaen Brouwer (''Village Barbar's Shop''). :The Rubens Collection with 72 paintings the largest permanent one worldwide. * Italian paintings 13th–18th century: :The Italian Gothic paintings are the oldest of the gallery, among them Giotto's famous ''The Last Supper'', then all Schools of Italian

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

and

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

Painting are represented with works of Fra Angelico (''Entombment of Christ''), Domenico Ghirlandaio (''Virgin and Child with SS. Dominici, Michael, John the Baptist and John the Evangelist''),

Sandro Botticelli Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi ( – May 17, 1510), better known as Sandro Botticelli ( ; ) or simply known as Botticelli, was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 1 ...

('' Lamentation over the Dead Christ''), Fra Filippo Lippi (''The Annunciation''), Lorenzo Lotto (''The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine''),

('' The Canigiani Holy Family'', '' Madonna della tenda'', '' Madonna Tempi''),

('' Madonna of the Carnation''), Antonello da Messina ('' Annunciata''),

Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...

(''Vanity'', ''Charles V''),

Tintoretto Jacopo Robusti (late September or early October 1518Bernari and de Vecchi 1970, p. 83.31 May 1594), best known as Tintoretto ( ; , ), was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Venetian school. His contemporaries both admired and criticized th ...

(''Christ in the House of Mary and Martha''),

Paolo Veronese Paolo Caliari (152819 April 1588), known as Paolo Veronese ( , ; ), was an Italian Renaissance painter based in Venice, known for extremely large history paintings of religion and mythology, such as ''The Wedding at Cana (Veronese), The Wedding ...

(''Amor with two dogs''),

Guido Reni Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian Baroque painter, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religious works, but al ...

(''The Assumption of the Virgin''), Luca Giordano (''A Cynical Philosopher''), Tiepolo (''The Adoration of the Kings''), Francesco Guardi (''Regatta on the Canale della Guidecca''), Canaletto (''Piazetta in Venice'') and others. * French paintings 16th–18th century: :In spite of the close relationship of the Wittelsbachs to France it is the second smallest section with works, for example, of Claude Lorrain (''The Expulsion of Hagar''),

Nicolas Poussin Nicolas Poussin (, , ; June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was a French painter who was a leading painter of the classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome. Most of his works were on religious and mythologic ...

(''Midas and Bacchus''),

(''Madame de Pompadour'', ''Reclining Girl''),

(''The Bird Cage''), Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin (''Woman Cleaning Turnips''), Maurice-Quentin de la Tour (''Mademoiselle Ferrand Meditating on Newton''), Claude Joseph Vernet (''Eastern Harbour at Dawn'') and

Jean-Honoré Fragonard Jean-Honoré Fragonard (; 5 April 1732 (birth/baptism certificate) – 22 August 1806) was a French painter and printmaker whose late Rococo manner was distinguished by remarkable facility, exuberance, and hedonism. One of the most prolific art ...

(''Girl with Dog''). * Spanish paintings, 16th–18th century: :Though this is the smallest section, all major masters are represented, such as

(''The Disrobing of Christ''), de la Cruz (''Infant Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain''), Velázquez (''Young Spanish Gentleman''), Jusepe de Ribera (''Saint Bartholomew''), Francisco de Zurbarán (''The Entombment of St. Catharine of Alexandria on Mount Sinai'', '' St. Francis in Ecstasy''), and Murillo (''Beggar Boys Eating Grapes and Melon''). The paintings of Francisco de Goya were moved into the New Pinakothek.

Gallery

References

Sources

* Alte Pinakothek. ''Summary Catalogue''. Edition Lipp, 1986. . *

External links

*
Panorama Alte PinakothekVirtual tour of the Alte Pinakothek
provided by

Google Arts & Culture Google Arts & Culture (formerly Google Art Project) is an online platform of high-resolution images and videos of artworks and cultural artifacts from partner cultural organizations throughout the world, operated by Google. It utilizes high-re ...

* {{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in 1836 1836 establishments in Bavaria Historicist architecture in Munich Art museums and galleries in Munich National museums of Germany Art museums and galleries established in 1836 Leo von Klenze buildings Ludwig I of Bavaria