Architecture of the Museum Brandhorst in Munich

With its colourful facade, the Museum Brandhorst is a striking cornerstone in the northeast of Munich’s Kunstareal. It’s intended to build a bridge between the artistic ideas in the museums and the everyday lives of people in the neighbouring districts. The entire building is not only architecturally outstanding, but also in terms of its building services. It’s built to be as sustainable as possible – from the lighting design, which uses as much natural daylight as possible instead of artificial light, to the heating and ventilation, which is a particular challenge given the constant climate requirements of artworks.

The exterior facade, featuring over 36,000 glazed ceramic rods, shimmers in more than 20 colours. Together with the angled sheet metal cladding behind them, colours and shapes merge or separate into individual compositions and tones, depending on the light and your vantage point. This creates a deliberate dialogue with the rather brutalist, bare facade of glass, metal and exposed concrete of the neighbouring Pinakothek der Moderne.

A current special exhibition shows a lot about the time Keith Haring and Andy Warhol spent together and their mutual influence in 1980s New York. Both shared the belief that art should be open and accessible to everyone – a wish that’s fulfilled here.