Haus der Kunst - Munich

Took the Easy Jet special to Munich yesterday & after some (vegetarian) dumplings (a Bavarian speciality) and some of the local beer of course, headed to the Haus der Kunst. After showing solidarity with the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who exhibited recently & is now being held by the Chinese authorities we went to a group exhibition titled Aschemünder - film & media art from the Ingvild Goetz collection which is showing in the building's former air-raid shelter. The works, by David Claerbout, Willie Doherty, Harun Farocki, Omer Fast, Mona Hatoum, Anri Sala and others, make reference to war, dictatorship, torture and persecution, some of which are very moving. Showing the works in the air-raid shelter adds to a feeling of imprisonment and confinement.

We then headed to the Goldene Bar which is located at the side of the building. Built in 1937, possibly as a nazi casino, a wine tavern or an officer's club, the former curator's of Haus der Kunst must have felt this was a burden for they left it's golden walls with original paintings of the wine, liquor or champagne areas of the world by professor Karl-Heinz Dallinger covered and the premisses closed for the larger public for decades.  The original room opens in a glow of gold and is very impressive, the minimalist arrangement of the laid-back furniture and the chandelier make for a lovely room.  The atmosphere is relaxed and the service excellent, hence this not being posted untill the morning.

Off to Pinakothek Der Moderne today to take advantage of the EUR1.00 entry fee on a Sunday. I'll report back on the visit later.