The Modern Art Collection (Sammlung Moderne Kunst) at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich is one of the world’s leading institutions for painting, sculpture, photography and new media. The spectrum ranges from the avant-garde movements of the early twentieth century to contemporary art. In the incomparably rich collection of Expressionists, the Cubist and Futuristic re-definition of autonomous art challenges the question of man’s changed circumstances in the modern age.

The artists of the ‘Brücke’ and the ‘Blaue Reiter’, along with Max Beckmann, who is uniquely represented here, address this issue eloquently. Pablo Picasso’s pictorial fantasies and formal richness of invention are highlighted, along with Surrealists like Max Ernst, René Magritte and Salvador Dalí. Important themes after 1950 are debated in the works by Joseph Beuys, Andy Warhol, Dan Flavin, Georg Baselitz and others. This volume offers the author’s refreshingly personal perspective on these subjects and highlights the iconic works in this world-class collection.