Die Neue Sammlung is the Design Museum located in the Pinakothek der Moderne and is one of the world’s leading museums of 20th and 21st century applied art and design.

The museum came into existence thanks to the “Münchner Vereinigung für angewandte Kunst” which was founded in 1903 and later renamed the “Münchner Bund”. Later, in May 1925, a “Special Department” for the applied arts was set up at the Bavarian National Museum. In March 1926 Die Neue Sammlung, which means “The New Collection”, was presented to the public for the first time.

From the very beginning, Die Neue Sammlung stood out from other contemporary museums of applied arts and of arts and crafts. It consciously committed to the modernism of the time, which included contemporary design. Die Neue Sammlung follows the same claim and objectives as its founding members right up unto this day.

The international collection focusses on industrial and graphic design, as well as on arts and crafts and jewellery. It is divided into more than twenty individual areas such as furniture and lighting, radio and television sets, ceramics, metalwork, textiles and glass, but themes such as mobility and IT design are also included. In fact, Die Neue Sammlung is considered a leader in the field of industrial design. 

Previously housed in the west wing of the Bavarian National Museum on Prinzregentenstrasse, Die Neue Sammlung moved to the Pinakothek der Moderne in 2002. Together with the Bavarian State Painting Collections, the State Collection of Prints and Drawings Munich, and the Technical University’s Architecture Museum it now belongs to a new set of museums – which in itself poses new challenges and opportunities.

With the presentation of its comprehensive collection, its exhibitions and its various forms of educational work, Die Neue Sammlung reflects current discourse on the content and format of design museums, on how design content is received and on the general significance of design today.