SGSM ONLINE
2. Mai 2019 · by Dr. Andreas Strobl
On the world-class stage
The Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München is now welcoming visitors online! The Munich museum’s latest initiative involves a online study room, accessible via its homepage, that allows the general public to call up and explore the collection’s vast holdings from anywhere in the world.
With the project’s launch, the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München brings a substantial piece of Bavaria’s cultural heritage onto the international stage, joining the ranks of other world-class collections of works on paper with strong online presences. The program was made possible by the generous support of the Stiftung Pinakothek der Moderne and the Bavarian State Ministry for Science, Research, and the Arts.
This undertaking will not only help make the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung and its extensive collection of first-rate art accessible to non-specialists, but also promote Bavaria as a centre for study and learning, and highlight Munich’s appeal as a destination with a wealth of museums and exhibitions.
Growing database
Kiki Smith makes the start
Currently, the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung is digitizing a large portion of the graphic work of American artist Kiki Smith, who recently donated her entire oeuvre of prints to the collection. An exhibition of highlights from this body of work, TOUCH. Prints by Kiki Smith, is on view at Munich’s Pinakothek der Moderne until 26 May 2019. Subsequently, all works will be viewable online, allowing visitors to obtain key data on each and – if they feel so inspired – arrange for viewings of original works at the brick-and-mortar study room at the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung.
Other works currently viewable online include drawings and prints from the recent exhibitions Lucas van Leyden (1489/1949–1533): Master of Printmaking and In Focus: Franz von Pocci – Fantasy and Mockery, as well as – to the greatest extent possible – objects from Grande Decorazione: Italian Monumental Painting in Graphic Art.
The first step
But that’s not all: the museum is also in the process of uploading the entire collection of Italian Drawings and Italian Prints – large parts of which have already been digitized – to the online collection. In the coming months and years, further sections will be made available online on a daily basis. With the initiative in full swing, the public now has the opportunity to discover the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München’s extraordinary collection of treasures, both familiar and new.
