In March, I visited Munich in southern Germany to cover the iF design award.

I imagined Munich to be a beautiful old town with a medieval atmosphere, an ancient castle said to be the model for Cinderella Castle, and magnificent nature, but the city is actually very unique, with modern design and art coexisting as if blending seamlessly into its historical past.


Just walking around the city, I came across interesting designs.


This time, I would like to write about the contemporary side of Munich, a city overflowing with creativity.

During my stay, the annual Munich Creative Business Week (MCBW) was held for nine days (March 9th to 17th). Design-related events and workshops were planned at the city's museums and galleries, attracting people from around the world and across the country, and it appears to be an important opportunity for industry and students in Germany, including Bavaria, to connect with design.

The MCBW catalogue was distributed at museums and other venues.


As part of the MCBW, a lecture by Gijs Bakker, one of the founders of Droog Design, was also planned!

In addition, this year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of Bauhaus, and people's awareness of design is on the rise, with the exhibition "Reflex Bauhaus" (until February 2, 2020) being held for around a year here in Munich, unraveling the history of Bauhaus.

The "Reflex Bauhaus" exhibition is being held at the Pinakothek der Moderne, a contemporary art museum located in the center of Munich (about a 20-minute walk from Munich Central Station).



This museum is a bit complicated, but it is a veritable temple of contemporary art, housing four museums under one roof: the Architecture Museum of the Technical University of Munich (architecture), the Print Museum Munich (graphic art), the Bavarian State Museum of Modern Art (contemporary art), and Die Neue Sammlung (design). An admission fee of 10 euros allows you to see the exhibits of all four museums. When I visited, the Munich Print Museum (STAATLICHE GRAPHISCHE SAMMLUNG MÜNCHEN) on the first floor was hosting an exhibition titled "TOUCH. PRINTS BY KIKI SMITH" by West German-born American artist Kiki Smith.



The exhibition focused on Kiki Smith's prints, including "Pool of Tears 2 (after Lewis Carroll)," a print based on Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures Underground" (1886), as well as lithographs, drawings, collages, and photographs. What I remember most about this exhibition is its delicate, dreamy, and beautiful collection of works.

Kiki Smith "Pool of Tears 2 (after Lewis Carroll)"



The Bavarian State Museum of Modern Art (PIN. Freunde der Pinakothek) on the second floor, which exhibits contemporary art, has a vast collection of contemporary art from 1900 onwards, including works by Warhol, Picasso, Dali, Francis Bacon, and Klee, who taught at the Bauhaus (with a collection of over 20,000 pieces! ).

Francis Bacon, "Kreuzigung, 1965"
Dan Flavin, "'monument' for V. Tatlin"
It was also featured at Espace Louis Vuitton Tokyo in 2017.

In addition, the basement Die Neue Sammlung, where the Bauhaus exhibition is held, displays the world's oldest and largest collection of modern design.The Pinakothek der Moderne is Europe's largest exhibition center for modern and contemporary art, and is simply amazing to see.


The "Reflex Bauhaus" exhibition at Die Neue Sammlung (until February 2, 2020)

Not only that, the entire area is also home to the Pinakothek der Moderne, the Alte Pinakothek (Old Picture Gallery), the Neue Three museums bearing the name "Pinacothek," including the PINAKOTHEK (New Picture Gallery), face each other across Theresienstrasse. Also nearby are the SAMMLUNG SCHACK (with a collection of around 180 paintings by German artists, including masterpieces from the 19th century), and the MUSEUM BRANDHORST (with permanent exhibits of Cy Twombly and Andy Warhol). (I didn't have time to see them all.)




That concludes my report on the museums. By the way, it takes about 30 minutes by taxi (around 70 euros) from Munich Airport to the city center where the hotel is located, but as you get closer to the city center, you can see uniquely shaped modern architecture from the car window, such as the BMW Museum (BMW's car museum), Allianz Arena (Bayern Munich's home stadium), and Olympiastadion Munich (the main stadium for the 1972 Munich Olympics).

Here are some design and art spots in Munich that we would like to recommend to anyone traveling to Munich. I would be happy if you could use it as a reference!