A short while ago I went to go see the Brandhorst Museum in Munich a few days after its opening. Before entering, your eyes already encounter a playful interaction with the thin vertical lines of all various colours that run down the tall sleek outer walls.
Instead, an immediate relaxation kicks in when you walk over the smooth wooden floor and notice how its interplay with the light floods the whole museum with a warm atmosphere. Once inside, walking with your audio guide which is included in the entry price, you immediately are standing next to an Andy Warhol. This encounter pretty much sums up everything else you are going to see. The Classic Stars of Contemporary Art - Sigmar Polke, Alex Katz, Damien Hirst, David LaChapelle, Gerhard Richter, many works of Andy Warhol, and a beautifully extensive show of Cy Twombly. Walking through the museum was definitely a visual pleasure, but nevertheless I was disappointed. Everything was so predictable...overly predictable. Nothing somehow stuck out. Apparently every room was designed according to the works presented in it (museum will always keep this permanent collection), and as a visitor I felt this attribute. I guess having so much Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst in other museums, one wishes to at least encounter a more playful and innovative presentation of such art, an art that in itself broke norms.
But that did not seem to be the aim of this museum. Either way, it is still a place worth going to, especially on a rainy day. It perfection and warm atmosphere will relax you and raise your spirit...but it won't evoke any passionate inspiration.
