Glyptothek permanent exhibition: Masterpieces of ancient sculpture
2026-01-01 00:00 - 2026-12-31 23:59 (Europe/Berlin) | Glyptothek, Königsplatz 3, München, 80333
The Glyptothek owes the exceptional status of its exhibits to its founder and benefactor: Ludwig I (1786–1868), King of Bavaria from 1825 to 1848, wanted to acquire only high-quality antiquities for his museum. The fact that this actually succeeded was thanks to his Roman art agent Johann Martin von Wagner (1777–1858), who combined an unerring eye for antique art with a brilliant scientific talent and great business acumen. Between 1810 and 1820, a collection of first-class sculptures was created in a short period of time, which was then enhanced by subsequent acquisitions.
The chronological arc of the ancient originals spans from Archaic times (6th century BC) to the Greek Classical Period (5th/4th century BC) and Hellenism (3rd-1st century BC) to the Roman Imperial Period and Late Antiquity (1st–5th century AD). In addition to sculptures that were once used to decorate sanctuaries, public buildings and squares as well as funerary monuments, the Glyptothek’s marble sculptures also include numerous portraits of outstanding ancient poets, thinkers and rulers from Homer to Plato, from Alexander the Great to Augustus and Marcus Aurelius.

Kuros from Tenea

Medusa Rondanini

Aphrodite of Knidos

Barberine Faun

Republican

Torso of Diomedes

Permanent exhibition Collections of Antiquities: the entire spectrum of ancient "small art"
2026-01-01 00:00 - 2026-12-31 00:00 | Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Königsplatz 1, München, 80333, Germany
In order to distinguish it from “great” art – architecture, sculpture and painting – art history has coined the term “small art” for the many forms of small-format sculptures and decorated objects. Accordingly, the State Collections of Antiquities used to be called the “Museum of Ancient Small Art”.
A visit to the Collections of Antiquities at Königsplatz shows that small art need not shy away from comparison with great art. Masterpieces of vase art, small-scale sculpture in bronze or terracotta, goldsmithing and stone carving or glassblowing are presented to the visitor in an educational way.

Kuros from Tenea

Medusa Rondanini

Aphrodite of Knidos

Barberine Faun

Republican

Torso of Diomedes

Pompejanum special exhibition: Ancient Troublemakers - Can the hybrid creatures still be tamed?
2026-03-27 08:00 - 2026-10-31 17:00 | Pompejanum Aschaffenburg, Pompejanumstraße 5, Aschaffenburg, 63739
The troublemakers of antiquity are on the loose!

Medusa, Minotaur, Centaurs & Co – who doesn’t know them, the hybrid creatures of antiquity? Composed of the bodies of humans and various animals, they populated the mythical world of ancient Greece and Rome. They are often referred to as monsters, abominations or monsters. They disrupted human order, caused chaos and spread fear and terror. That is why they had to be tamed. This task was usually carried out by a hero, and the taming was usually accompanied by the death of the monster. Nevertheless, the creatures have their own history and origin. They are associated with certain places and are portrayed in a certain way. Although this sometimes changed over time, they were and are always immediately recognizable and nameable.

Students at the Institute of Classical Archaeology at the LMU Munich have been dealing with these “troublemakers“, but also somewhat more sociable hybrid creatures, in a practical museum exercise to “tame” them themselves and make them the focus of this year’s special exhibition “Ancient Troublemakers – Can the hybrid creatures still be tamed?” in the Pompejanum. To this end, they have made a selection of top-class objects from the State Collections of Antiquities in Munich, which are now being presented in Aschaffenburg. We invite you to immerse yourself in the world of ancient myths and enjoy the wonderful depictions of our incredible “troublemakers” and their “tamers”.

Publication accompanying the exhibition (PDF)

The exhibition can be seen at the Pompejanum Aschaffenburg from 28.03. to 31.10.2026.

Exhibition venue:PompejanumPompejanumstraße 563739 Aschaffenburgwww.antike-am-koenigsplatz.mwn.de/pompejanum-aschaffenburg/www.schloesser.bayern.de/deutsch/schloss/objekte/as_pom.htm

Opening hours:March 28-31: 9 am – 4 pm (last admission 3:30 pm)April – October 3: 9 am – 6 pm (last admission 5:30 pm)October 4 – 31: 10 am – 4 pm (last admission 3:30 pm) Closed on Mondays (except Easter, May 1, Whit Monday, August 15, October 3)30 hrs)Closed on Mondays(except: Easter Monday, May 1, Whit Monday, August 15, October 3)November 2026-March 26, 2027: closedAdmission: € 7,- / € 6,-; free up to 18 years (no card payment possible!)

Collecting with style. Caroline Murat, Ludwig I and antiquity
2026-07-08 00:00 - 2027-01-17 23:59 | Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Königsplatz 1, München, 80333, Germany
In March 1826, Leo von Klenze signed a contract on behalf of the Bavarian King Ludwig I to purchase the antique collection of Countess Lipona. The “Lipona” in question was Caroline Murat, the youngest sister of Napoleon Bonaparte. From 1808 to 1815, she ruled the Kingdom of Naples together with her husband Joachim. During this time, she took an active part in the archaeological discoveries in her kingdom and brought together archaeological finds in Naples. She even initiated excavations in Pompeii and around Naples herself. In her chambers in the royal palace of Naples, a private museum of antiquities was created piece by piece.

Ludwig, who was born four years after Caroline Murat, already shared her enthusiasm for antiquity as crown prince and also a passion for collecting antique art objects. In 1804/1805, he traveled to Italy for the first time, was fascinated by the antiquities he saw and from then on was inspired by the desire to convey this beauty north of the Alps in his homeland. Caroline and Ludwig also knew each other personally: in 1806, she attended the wedding of his sister Auguste Amalie to Napoleon’s stepson, Eugène de Beauharnais, in Munich. A little later, Ludwig also spent several months in Paris, where he visited the Louvre several times and probably also met Caroline.

With the fall of Napoleon, the Murats lost their kingdom in Naples in 1815. Caroline managed to abscond with part of her art collections to Habsburg territory, where she lived from then on as Countess Lipona – an anagram of Napoli. Due to a lack of income, she was soon forced to sell her art objects one by one, as a result of which Ludwig came into possession of her collection of antiquities one year after his coronation as king, which has been in Munich ever since.

The special exhibition takes the purchase of the Lipona Collection exactly 200 years ago as an opportunity to take a closer look at the two royal collectors who were so enthusiastic about antiquity. The focus is on Caroline Murat as the founder of the collection. Ludwig I, on the other hand, is viewed primarily in the role of the buyer, who thus laid an important foundation stone for his collection of antique art and the later State Collections of Antiquities. For the first time, the Lipona Collection is presented in its entirety – and in an atmosphere that brings the 19th century back to life.

The exhibition “Collecting with style. Caroline Murat, Ludwig I and Antiquity” can be seen at the Staatliche Antikensammlungen from July 8, 2026 to January 17, 2027.

Exhibition duration: 08.07.2026 – 17.01.2027

Exhibition venue: Staatliche Antikensammlungen MünchenKönigsplatz 180333 Munichwww.antike-am-koenigsplatz.mwn.de

Opening hours:Tue to Sun: 10 am – 5 pmWed until 8 pmAdmission: € 6,- / € 4,-; up to 18 years free; Sun € 1,-
