Munich’s Soho at the Rive Gauche

From the 1960s to the end of the 1990s, Maximilianstraße was a central hub of Munich’s art scene. Up to 40 galleries operated here; many of these institutions promoted the art of their time and served as key patrons of contemporary art in Munich and far beyond. Notable examples include the Gunzenhauser, Fred Jahn, Schellmann & Klüser, Six Friedrich (formerly Friedrich & Dahlem), Van de Loo, Klewan and Sabine Knust galleries. Some of the galleries had been founded earlier, whilst others only established themselves in Maximilianstraße. The concentration of art spaces there led to an intensive exchange and to a self-organised initiative known as the Interessengemeinschaft Galerien Maximilianstraße, which achieved a great deal, such as joint exhibitions accompanied by publications and remaining open in the evening on the first Thursday of the month. The association championed the acceptance of both historical and contemporary art, presenting internationally acclaimed artists whilst also providing a forum for the local art scene. Interdisciplinarity and multimedia approaches were hallmarks of this sometimes controversial alliance.

The concentration of contemporary art spaces in the Maximilianstraße contributed, we contend, to Munich’s international reputation as a city of art. This cosmopolitan orientation is also evident, for example, in the Tanit Gallery, which had a branch in Beirut; the Godula Buchholz Gallery, which specialised in Latin American art; and the Maeder Gallery, whose focus was on Brazilian art. Also remarkable is the high proportion of women who ran galleries: Margret Biedermann, Six Friedrich, Ingvild Goetz (art in progress), Dany Keller, Sabine Knust, Naila Kettaneh-Kunigk (Tanit), Dorothea Leonhart, Barbara McBride (Apollon Galerie Die Insel), Irene Maeder and Charlotte Zander. As the professions of gallery owner and art dealer did not require any formal training, this field may have offered women an opportunity to enter the sector from different backgrounds.

The research, publication and exhibition project entitled Munich’s Soho at the Rive Gauche examines the founding and formative decades of the art scene in Maximilianstraße. The aim is to situate the establishment of this art hub in Munich’s post-war reconstruction and the thriving contemporary art scene in Germany (for example, in the Rhineland).

The project also investigates the reasons behind the subsequent exodus and dispersal of art spaces as, for example, to the Kunstareal. The exodus of art from Maximilianstraße can be traced alongside the neighbourhood’s metamorphosis into an area characterised by high-end fashion and lifestyle. Further, the project explores the coexistence and interplay between the global/international orientation of the galleries and their connection to the local art scene. Using Maximilianstraße as an example, what points of contact between subcultures and private and museum art collections become visible? What was the proportion of female gallery owners, and were there gender-specific exhibition programmes? Furthermore, the research examines how galleries in Maximilianstraße facilitated art in public spaces as, for example, during the 1972 Olympic Games.

List of galleries on Maximilianstraße

• Apollon Galerie Die Insel (Stollbergstraße 15)

• Artcurial (Maximilianstraße 10)

• BBK / Galerie der Künstler:innen (Maximilianstraße 42)

• Charlotte Galerie für Naive Kunst (Münzstraße 9&7, Falkenturmstraße 6–8)

• Edition Schellmann & Klüser / Galerie Schellmann & Klüser / Edition Schellmann (Maximilianstraße 12)

• Galerie Angst & Orny (Maximilianstraße 20)

• Galerie Arnoldi-Livie (Maximilianstraße 10, Maximilianstraße 36)

• Galerie art in progress (Maximilianstraße 25)

• Galerie Bernd Dürr (Maximilianstraße 29)

• Galerie Biedermann (Maximilianstraße 12, Maximilianstraße 25)

• Galerie Buchholz (Maximilianstraße 29)

• Galerie Daniel Blau (Maximilianstraße 10, Maximilianstraße 26)

• Galerie Fred Jahn (Maximilianstraße 10)

• Galerie Friedrich & Dahlem / Galerie Heiner Friedrich / Edition der Galerie Heiner Friedrich (Maximilianstraße 15)

• Galerie Grünwald (Residenzstraße 13/III)

• Galerie Günther Franke (Maximilianstraße 22)

• Galerie Gunzenhauser (Maximilianstraße 10)

• Galerie Heinz Herzer (Maximilianstraße 43)

• Galerie Hermanns (Am Platzl 4)

• Galerie Heseler / Heseler-Edition (Maximilianstraße 13–14, Residenzstraße 27)

• Galerie Ilse Schweinsteiger (Stollbergstraße 11)

• Galerie Karl Pfefferle (Maximilianstraße 16)

• Galerie Klewan (Maximilianstraße 29)

• Galerie Leonhart (Maximilianstraße 20)

• Galerie Maeder (Maximilianstraße 36)

• Galerie Pabst (Stollbergstraße 11)

• Galerie Richard Grimm / Jüdisches Museum (Maximilianstraße 36)

• Galerie Rieder (Maximilianstraße 22)

• Galerie Ruf (Maximilianstraße 40)

• Galerie Six Friedrich (Maximilianstraße 15)

• Galerie Tanit (Maximilianstraße 36, Maximilianstraße 25)

• Galerie Thomas (Maximilianstraße 25)

• Galerie Thomas Keller (Maximilianstraße 6)

• Galerie van de Loo (Maximilianstraße 27)

• Galerie von Abercron (Maximilianstraße 22)

• Jasa Fine Art (Maximilianstraße 27)

• Kunstforum / MaximiliansForum (Maximilianstraße / Alstadtring)

• Maximilian Verlag Sabine Knust (Maximilianstraße 26, Maximilianstraße 14)

• Waßermann Galerie / Wassermann Galerie und edition (Knöbelstraße 27)

Some of these galleries still exist, albeit at different locations. We saw this as an opportunity to converse with the gallery owners and to work with visual and textual material from the galleries’ archives. The project initiates new research and fosters ongoing exchange with the urban space and its histories through interviews with contemporary witnesses, artists and gallery owners; exhibitions and interventions. The project thus advocates for collective and transdisciplinary learning. To ensure this exchange also promotes sustainability, exhibitions – alongside the publication – are a central component of the project.

The historical material will be featured in a publication, which will also include brief gallery profiles, as well as academic and artistic contributions (forthcoming spring 2027, Deutscher Kunstverlag).

Moreover, contemporary and historic exhibitions, accompanied by artist talks, lectures and performances, are planned for July to October 2027.

Team