Author(s): Rainer Metzger

History

As the 20th century dawned, Munich found itself at a high point in its cultural history. Often seen as provincial and parochial, it moved out of the shadow of Berlin and reinvented itself as a treasure house of art. A parade of artistic movements and breakaway groups took the limelight, from the innovative artists of the Munich Secession and the Jugendstil to the bold colours and expressive harmonies of Der Blaue Reiter: Kandinsky, Marc and Macke. Munich in 1900 was alive with a sense of celebration, buzzing with the seething life of its festivals and carnivals, theatres and cabarets. It became a haven and an inspiration to many: artists such as Paul Klee, Giorgio de Chirico and Marcel Duchamp, writers such as Thomas Mann and Stefan George, and political figures such as Lenin and Trotsky all spent time there. "Munich 1900" is a profusely illustrated portrait of this vibrant cultural ferment and its most important protagonists.