"Why I Never Became a Dancer"
September 29-April 1
Haus der Kunst

According to Ingvild Goetz, every generation develops its own cult—a new teenage slang, a certain style of music and fashion, even a preference for a unique drug. All of these aspects also define the social behavior patterns of young people in public and in private. A dozen of video installations by artists including Rosemarie Trockel, Ryan Treoartins and Doug Aitken, will present a broad range of approaches to grasp this particular phase of life. "Why I Never Became a Dancer" is the second exhibition of Munich art connoisseur, Goetz, in the former air-raid shelters of the Haus der Kunst. For more information, visit hausderkunst.de.

"Images of Gods"
September 30-March 31
State Collection of Egyptian Art

The worshipped gods in Ancient Egypt almost seem innumerable and their manifestations countless. Some gods were portrayed as humans, some as animals and quite a few as hybrid creatures. Introducing to the many gods, their forms of appearance and their individual stories, the State Collection of Egyptian Art will shed light on one of world history's richest polytheistic cultures. The exhibition "Gottes-Bilder" (Images of Gods) will also explain ancient religious practices and the belief in the hereafter 2.500 years ago. For more information, visit aegyptisches-museum-muenchen.de.

Passion Play Portraits
October 13-April 1
Bayerisches Nationalmuseum

Every decade, an entire Bavarian village takes almost a year off to stage the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth. This unique tradition was established in 1633 to commemorate the ending of a disastrous plague. All actors participating in the historical mammoth project are required to be born in Oberammergau or at least to have lived in the village for more than twenty years. Attending the rehearsals of theOberammergauer Passionsspiele in 2010, Christopher Thomas captured the passion and energy with which all actors commited to the play. However, his pictures alluding to classical paintings have also transcended its purpose and can be considered unique art works of their own beyond the mere portrayal of the religious spectacular. Thomas's photo series will be on show in the grandiose Kirchensaal (Church Hall) of the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum that is already worth a visit on its own. For more information, bayerisches-nationalmuseum.de.

Karl Hubbuch
October 28-March 4
Münchner Stadtmuseum

Karl Hubbuch's creative career only lasted from 1925 to 1935. During this period the autodidact from Karlsruhe extensively experimented with self-portraits. After that Hubbuch suddenly stopped taking pictures for unknown reasons. His productive decade, however, has left behind an exceptional series of photographs that often composes images of people and pieces of art next to one another. The picture on the left also shows Karl Hubbuch's wife, Hilde, who became a renowned New York photographer after their 1936 divorce. For more information, visit stadtmuseum-online.de.

Jules Chéret
November 10-February 5
Villa Stuck

These days a large city without advertisement posters seems almost unimaginable. Back in the 19th century, however, posters became only popular as the industrialization sparked an unprecedented economic upturn. One of the first artists to cover the market of advertising art was the Parisian lithograph, printer, illustrator and painter Jules Chéret (1836–1932). During his work life, Chéret not only created outstanding ads for a great variety of businesses, but he was also a sought-after designer of various products such as perfumes, medicinal products and even fashion. Giving a comprehensive overview of Chéret’s commercial art, the Villa Stuck will also present lesser known pieces of the artist that clearly define him a Belle Epoque protagonist—his designed furniture, portraits and drawings. For more information, visit villastuck.de.

Wooden Buildings
November 11-February 5
Pinakothek der Moderne

The United Nations has declared 2011 "The International Year of Forests".  On this occasion, an exhibition will dedicate itself to wood as a renewable resource and a timeless building material. Apart from its design effects in modern day architecture, "Wooden Buildings" will also reflect the advantages of the material from an economic and technological point of view. For more information, visit pinakothek.de/pinakothek-der-moderne.


 "Naples and the South"
November 11-February 26
Neue Pinakothek

Naples and its countryside has always been a region of many facets. Especially in the 19th century the scenic beauty and the cultural heritage of the Naples area stood in harsh contrast to the poverty of its residents. With the rise of photography and tourism, many travelers started to document this fascinating clash and the Neue Pinakothek has assembled outstanding examples of such historical images. Among the exhibits on display will be old photographs of well-known sites such as volcanoes and the ancient town of Pompeii, but also pictures portraying the everyday life of Naples residents 150 years ago. Among the photographers, whose pieces will be on display, will be pioneer image takers Gustave Le Gray, Calver Richard Jones and Firmin-Eugène Le Dieu. For more information, visit pinakothek.de/neue-pinakothek. 



"Sculptural Acts"
November 11-February 12
Haus der Kunst

Commonly sculptures are installed at exhibitions as mere objects to be contemplated on. In the past decades, however, a couple of artists have distanced themselves from the familiar notion of sculptures as autonomous units. Instead, they have started to perceive the entire process until a piece is finished as an act of art. Michael Beutler, for example, always displays the machines with which he has crafted his pieces along with his exhibits. Alexandra Bircken on the other hand reflects the social context of her chosen materials. Further approaches towards "Sculptural Acts" will be presented by Phyllida Barlow, Vincent Fecteau, Anita Leisz and Kimberly Sexton. For more information, visit hausderkunst.de.



Mona Hatoum
November 21-April 5
Goetz Collection

In the 1980s, Hatoum became best known for her performances that focused on her own body in relation to power and violence. The theme remained prevalent, Hatoum, however,  extended her means of expression by creating photographs, sculptures and videos. Consequently, the exhibition will comprise early video pieces such as "Measures of Distance" (1988) showing the artist's mother in the shower while excerpts of letters to her daughter give the images a second layer. A recent installation from 2009, "Hot Spot" (pictured left), presents an electrified and illuminated globe symbolizing global warming and the conflicts and catastrophes constantly troubling this world.

The Goetz Collection is a private museum and registration is required for all attendances by phone. Just call (089) 95 93 96 90. For more information, visit sammlung-goetz.de.

"Jews 45/90" (a two-part exhibition)
November 30-June 17
Jewish Museum

The first part of the exhibition will be dedicated to the so-called DPs (displaced persons), who had to flee to Germany—of all places—and had to stay in refugee shelters before they could emigrate to Israel or other countries. Often, the refugees from Eastern Europe had to wait for months until relief organizations could help them or the political situation of different countries became clear enough to make the next move. In order to grasp this straining insecurity, the exhibition will be divided into a labyrinth of 9 different sections that will only reveal themselves once the visitor enters the next segment. On the second level the exhibition will especially focus on the refugee shelter Föhrenwall near Wolfratshausen, which existed from 1945-1957. This particular example will illuminate the everyday life of refugees in such a shelter.

The second part of the exhibition, which will open on July 11, 2012, will then deal with the fates of immigrants, who moved from Eastern Europe to Munich in the 1990s. For more information, visit juedisches-museum-muenchen.de.

Egon Schiele
December 3-March 4
Kunstbau

Indeed, it is not too far-fetched to contextualize the paintings of Schiele with his turbulent life. Born in 1890, Schiele died at the early age of 28 and in the few years previous to his death he had become the enfant terrible of the Austrian art scene. His turbulent non-marital relationship with his muse Wally and an imprisonment for an alleged sexual harassment of a minor are just two examples. Thus, Schiele's work was often pathologized and interpreted as an extended expression of his unconventional lifestyle. Curators of the Lenbachhaus Kunstbau, however, will set out to prove that the pictures of Schiele can also be viewed from a more sophisticated perspective. They will trace reoccurring themes such as ideas on identity, Schiele's relation to nature, as well as reflections on perceptual processes. Another section will deal with the artist's preoccupation with Japanese woodcarvings that has not been taken into account by art historians before! The exhibition will be on display in the Lenbachhaus satellite Kunstbau. The Lenbachhaus is currently undergoing reconstruction until spring 2013. For more information, visit lenbachhaus.de.



Mirko Borsche
January 13-March 18
Pinakothek der Moderne

Considering the field of design, Munich certainly plays an outstanding role in Germany, perhaps even Europe. The scene may not be as large as in Berlin, London or Barcelona. Nevertheless, designers such as Ingo Mauerer (light design) or Konstantin Grcic (industrial design) play an important role in shaping fashion-forward surroundings all over the world. With regard to graphic design, the city can also be proud of an outstanding representative of the craft. Born in Tegernsee near Munich, Borsche has established himself as one of Germany’s most important forward thinkers in magazine design. His distinguished career has not gone unnoticed and Borsche will be given one of the rare opportunities to present his work in a museum. For his Munich exhibition, however, Borsche will not merely display his recent assignments. The graphic designer has rather chosen to reproduce his magazine and CD covers as hand-painted black and white posters. With this unprecedented approach, Borsche aims at scraping out the continuity of his visual language and at redefining the relevance of posters presented at an art exhibition. For more information, visit pinakothek.de/pinakothek-der-moderne.

George Stubbs
January 26-May 6
Neue Pinakothek

The Neue Pinakothek houses one of the most extensive collections of British paintings on the Continent. With regard to this privilege the Munich museum will present the first solo exhibition of animal paintings by Stubbs outside of England. Stubbs's work, which enjoyed great popularity during his lifetime (1724-1806), was almost forgotten after his death. Only in the 1980s the exceptional quality of Stubb’s animal studies were rediscovered through a retrospective in the Tate Gallery London. Apart from its own stock of Stubbs paintings, the Neue Pinakothek will also show pieces on loan from the Royal Collection, the Tate Britain and from several British castles. For more information, visit pinakothek.de/neue-pinakothek.