It surprises people when I remind them that Munich is second only to Paris in Europe for its visual…read morearts scene. One cannot underestimate the historical role of the Akademie der Bildene Kunst (Institute for Visual Art at http://www.adbk.de/) in the art history of Europe--especially modernism. Nor can one deny that generations of wealthy monarchs have blessed the city with museums full of treasures.
What does this mean for a working artist in Munich? First, it means there are rather a lot of them, who flock here to study or enrich themselves in an extraordinary cultural environment. Second, it means that they have pretty high standards to live up to--some of them live up to the standards, and some of them fall short, but they all take their calling very seriously.
This event, held every year in mid-June, lets you see a cross section of working artists in Munich, as they open their studio doors to the public. Many are the artists' private homes, and IMHO it takes a great deal of courage to open your doors to a parade of strangers, and not a little cash to ply them with the odd refreshment.
A great many artists live in the Schwabing neighbourhood, handy to the two universities and the art school. That's what "Kunst im Karree" refers to: art in the "square", bounded by Herzogstraße, Leopoldstraße, Theresienstraße and Schleißheimerstraße.
In 2012, the HQ where you can buy a catalogue and pick up a map was outside the exhibition space/graphic design studio 84GHz, at Georgenstraße 84. You can, of course, simply download the map from their website, and start visiting. (http://www.84ghz.de/cms/karree/). Check out some tips on their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/kunst.im.karree.
Because many of these studios are private homes, it's difficult to say where Yelpers should check in for this event. Almost any of the open ateliers are within Yelp's GPS limits. I set the pinpoint address at 84GHz.
This event, and others like it in Munich neighbourhoods, is an extraordinary opportunity. I encourage everyone to take advantage of it, to treat their hosting artists with respect, and maybe even buy a work or two.