The Long Night of Museums in Munich 2022

Saturday 15 October

During the Long Night of Museums in Munich on 15 October 2022, the European Patent Office offerded guided tours of its art collection in the Hackerbrücke building, which is not usually open to the public. Moreover, the premiere of a short film on light art in the EPO took place the same evening.

The EPO has been based in Munich for decades. Nonetheless, the building at Hackerbrücke, which was constructed on the site of the former milk depot between 2005 and 2007, is still largely unknown. For the first time, to mark the Long Night of Museums, we opened doors that are normally closed to the public to present highlights from our art collection and showcase both architecture and the world of patents.

The programme started in the afternoon with the Children's Art Lab. Children between the ages of 6 and 14 embarked on a fun voyage of discovery through the world of contemporary art, exploring unexpected materials and artefacts used by artists to turn their ideas into reality. This was followed by a practical workshop where children got creative and built, glued or painted their own works of art.
During the evening, guided tours offered an introduction to classic works in the collection by Tomás Saraceno, John Armleder, Keith Sonnier, Heimo Zobernig, Alicja Kwade, Francisco Da Mata and Markus Huemer, along with previously unseen, new acquisitions by Jelena Bulajic, Paul Leitner, Hildigunnur Birgisdottir, Katarina Poliacikova and Tue Greenfort.
One highlight of the evening was the premiere of a short film in the European Patent Office, in which the curator of the collection, Dr Kristine Schönert, presents light art works in the EPO.