Munich - New Picture Gallery Neue Pinakothek

Branca's use of traditional architectural elements such as round-headed arches, normally considered taboo in modern architecture, reflected his desire to get away from what he called "the pure schematism" of the modern style.

The building consists of two ranges of rooms: one, comprising 22 "Säle" (large rooms) and eleven Kabinette (small rooms), houses the collections of the Neue Pinakothek. The other, in the western part of the building contains the offices of the Directorate of the Bavarian State Picture Collections, a library, photographic laboratories and the Doerner Institute for the Scientific Investigation and Restoration of Works of Art.

In the basement are a room for temporary exhibitions and a video room. There is also a center for curatorial training.

Collection

The Neue Pinakothek possesses some 550 pictures and 50 works of sculpture ranging from Roccoco to Jugendstil (Art Nouveau). The foundations of the collection were laid in 1841 by King Ludwig I, who purchased a private collection belonging to Leo von Klenze. In 1868, the year of Ludwig's death, the gallery still had only about 400 works; it was enlarged in 1891 through the gift of Konrad Fiedler. Between 1911 and 1913 further acquisitions were made by purchase from Hugo von Tschudi, including works by Cézanne, Gauguin, van Gogh, Manet and Monet.