MUNICHfound reports on the city's most interesting shows.

"Oggetti e Proggetti"
Pinakothek der Moderne
May 22-September 9

Already in its early beginnings in the 1920s, the Alessi company considered itself to be more than just a mere metal-working manufactory. Cooperating with Bauhaus designers at first, Alessi started to develop its own future-oriented designs in the 1950s. Alessandro Mendini, one of Alessi's most recent star designers, will illuminate the company's design history by presenting unique objects in combination with their first drafts on paper, which have become sought-after pieces of art themselves. Apart from aesthetic aspects, "Oggetti e Progetti" (Objects and Projects) will also deal with contemporary questions of sustainable and recyclable design. For more information on this exhibition, held in the design section, visit pinakothek.de/pinakothek-der-moderne.



"Family Files"
Jüdisches Museum
June 9-September 12

Family relationships are the nucleus of a society as they say and often the most complicated of all constellations. In an attempt to survey the common and the unique in families, the Jewish Museum Munich has commissioned 16 Israeli artists to document their vision of family relations with photographs and video installations. Some have reconstructed their genealogy, some have made up their perfect relatives, some have undertaken a journey into most private matters. With such diverse approaches, all artists have revised the common notion of the family album by providing alternative portraits. For more information, visit juedisches-museum-muenchen.de.



Arnulf Rainer
Alte Pinakothek
June 10-September 5

Ever since his early beginnings in the 1950s, Austrian painter Arnulf Rainer has been fascinated by the artistic potential of revision. By overpainting an already existing picture, Rainer bestows new nuances upon the image. The application of fresh layers may also serve as a protecting cover. On the contrary, overpainting can also mean the irretrievable extinction of previous efforts. Over the past five decades, Rainer has developed diverse techniques of layering either his own works or historic paintings. Due to his extensive involvement with art history, Rainer's contemporary works will be on show at the Alte Pinakothek. For more information, visit pinakothek.de/alte-pinakothek.



"The Adventure of Reality"
Hypo-Kunsthalle
June 11-September 5

The realistic portrayal of reality has always been of importance to artists throughout the centuries. However, two hundred years ago painters started to doubt the reproduction of reality on canvas. To achieve objectivity in art became considered to be a paradox. Still, this new perception of realistic portrayal has challenged the creativity and accuracy of generations of artists ever since. Now, a unique exhibition will present more than 180 positions dealing with the complex subject of reality. Covering artistic trends from the 19th century to contemporary works, "The Adventure of Reality" will comprise paintings, photographs, sculptures, video art and graphics by artists including Dennis Hopper, Gustave Courbet and Gerhard Richter. For more information, visit hypo-kunsthalle.de.



"A Dance in Colors"
Kunstbau
June 19-September 26

Local museum Lenbachhaus mainly owes its international fame to its unique archive of pictures by artists of The Blue Rider. Between 1911 and 1914 the group located in Munich formed an important artist movement that would become fundamental to Expressionism. Even though artistic approaches varied within the group, all of the participants shared the belief in the spiritual and symbolic associations of colors. Due to extensive reconstruction work on Lenbachhaus, the associated exhibition hall Kunstbau will present a selection of water colors, drawings and printed graphics by The Blue Rider, some of which will be on public display for the first time. "Ein Tanz in Farben" (A Dance in Colors) will include works by Franz Marc, Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky and Gabriele Münter. For more information, visit lenbachhaus.de.



"Oktoberfest (1810-2010)"
Münchner Stadtmuseum
July 9-October 31

On October 12, 1810, Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria married Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen and hosted a five-day festival of music, feasts and parades throughout Munich. The festivities closed with a series of horse races on a meadow just outside the city gates, and the grounds were named "Theresienwiese" (or "Wies'n" for short) in honor of the bride. Owing to popular demand the Bavarian farming association continued the festivities the next year and ever since then the festival has grown into the mass event of today.

Kicking off this year's anniversary celebrations, the Münchner Stadtmuseum has searched its extensive archive of pictures, souvenirs and fairground utensils to revive the historical roots of Oktoberfest. Of course, a whole section of the show will be solely dedicated to beer. The exhibition promises to give a delightful overview of all aspects of this festival of inebriation, which from the very beginning fused Bavarian tradition with commercial enterprise. For more information, visit stadtmuseum-online.de.

"History of Rebuilding"
Pinakothek der Moderne
July 15-October 31

For years, there have been emotional debates revolving around the complex question of reconstruction in architecture. In Germany, for example, plans of rebuilding the Berlin City Palace have sparked heated controversy recently. After World War II, the GDR government tore down the bombed palace and constructed a modernist building on the site, the Palace of the Republic. Shortly before the German reunification the GDR building was found to be contaminated with asbestos and was shut down. When voices were being raised in favor of reconstructing the baroque building instead of renovating the GDR landmark, opponents argued that the Palace of the Republic was also an edifice of historical importance.

The exhibition held at the architecture section of the Pinakothek der Moderne will put this recent case of dispute into historical context showing that rebuilding has been a subject to architecture since ancient times. Of course, the show will also include Munich sites and international examples, all of which will illuminate how rebuilding is always connected to public identity. For more information, visit pinakothek.de/pinakothek-der-moderne.

"Great Art Exhibition"
Haus der Kunst
August 11-October 3

Each year, the Haus der Kunst rents out parts of its premises to the "Große Kunstaustellung" (Great Art Exhibition). Initiated by three local artists associations, the exhibition features a comprehensive overview of current art production. In a public submission German artists were asked to hand in their best pieces. A jury has selected the most interesting works from more than a thousand applications. In addition, organizers will also give 27 young artists the chance to present their projects for two days as part of the exhibition. For a full list of all participating artists, visit grossekunstausstellungmuenchen.de.