A groundbreaking donation

Joseph Benzino (Landstuhl 1819–1893 Munich), merchant, entrepreneur, and politician, was the first patron of today’s mpk. He donated his art collection of around 150 paintings to what was then the Gewerbemuseum. This generous gift led to the museum’s reorganization in 1903, marking its transformation into an art museum.

The Benzino Collection includes genre, landscape, history, and portrait paintings, primarily from the Munich School. A passionate art lover, Benzino collected high-quality contemporary works, some of which show the influence of new artistic movements such as the Barbizon School.

To this day, the mpk remains committed to Benzino’s original vision: to collect contemporary art and make it accessible to a broad public.