Die Neue Sammlung - The Design Museum

What Die Neue Sammlung - The Design Museum does

Die Neue Sammlung – The Design Museum is a state museum in Munich, Germany, operated as part of the Bayerische Staatliche Museen (Bavarian State Museums) and funded by the Free State of Bavaria. Founded in 1925, it houses one of the world's largest and most significant collections of 20th- and 21st-century applied arts and design, with over 120,000 objects spanning more than 20 design disciplines including industrial design, graphic design, mobility, ceramics, metalwork, glass, textiles, jewelry, and computer culture. The museum is physically anchored within the Pinakothek der Moderne complex on Barer Straße 40, sharing the Kunstareal cultural district with Alte Pinakothek, Lenbach-Haus, and Museum Brandhorst, and operates approximately 4,000 square meters of exhibition space. Curatorial leadership sits with Director Prof. Dr. Angelika Nollert, with a small core team (~19 employees) supplemented by institutional partners.

The museum's product surface has expanded from a purely physical exhibition model into a hybrid offering. Core digital products include the Sammlung Online platform (launched 2025) providing access to over 1,000 collection objects; the Sound of Design web application, which makes the acoustic dimension of objects audible across 100 years of design history; the Design in Line educational game featuring a digital mascot and nearly 300 sortable collection objects; and an Inclusive Touch Station within the X-D-E-P-O-T exhibition. Accessibility is a productized capability, not a side feature: since 2024 the museum partners with Munich-based AI startup SUMM AI to translate exhibition content into Leichte Sprache (easy language) for the approximately 14 million people in Germany with learning difficulties, low literacy, or limited German proficiency. Content is archived with the Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek.

The revenue model combines modest commercial income with institutional state funding. Ticketed admissions (10 EUR standard, 7 EUR reduced, 1 EUR Sunday, free for under-18s), third-party ticketing via München Ticket, and episodic catalog sales (e.g., 48 EUR hardback exhibition catalogs) generate user-pays revenue. The majority of operating support flows from Bavarian state funding and partnerships with the Friends of the Pinakothek der Moderne (PIN.) and the MPZ educational centre. The customer base is long-tail and anonymous: general museum visitors, school groups via MPZ, accessibility-needs audiences, researchers, and the wider Kunstareal tourist market. International reach is delivered indirectly through British Council Design Connections, the Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek, and digital channels rather than physical outposts.

Name

Die Neue Sammlung - The Design Museum

Legal name

Die Neue Sammlung – The Design Museum

Website

https://die-neue-sammlung.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1925

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Die Neue Sammlung is a state-funded Munich design museum operating within the Bavarian State Museums, housing over 120,000 applied-arts objects. It serves general visitors, schools, and accessibility-needs audiences via exhibitions, education, and digital platforms including Sammlung Online and Sound of Design.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Design Museum / Cultural Institution

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums (71211), Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led) (THAJAAAC), History, Heritage & Museum-Focused Study Tours (THAKAGAN), Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG)

Keywords

• Design museum exhibits
• Applied arts collection
• Museum educational programs
• Digital collection platform
• Accessible cultural heritage

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Admission Fees: Museum admission fees from visitors. Standard tickets at 10 EUR, reduced at 7 EUR, Sunday tickets at 1 EUR, with free entry for children under 18.
2. State Museum Funding: Die Neue Sammlung is a state museum and part of the Bayerische Staatliche Museen (Bavarian State Museums). Funded by the Bavarian State Government.
3. Publications and Catalog Sales: Sale of exhibition catalogs and publications, such as the 448-page catalog for 'Anders Gesehen. Afrikanische Keramik' priced at 48.00 EUR.
4. Ticket Sales via München Ticket: Online ticket sales through München Ticket platform for museum admission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Die Neue Sammlung is a state design museum that curates, preserves, and presents over 120,000 objects of 20th and 21st-century applied arts and design through permanent and rotating exhibitions at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich. It supplements the physical museum visit with digital offerings including the Sammlung Online collection platform, the Sound of Design audio web app, the Design in Line educational game, and SUMM AI-powered accessibility translations. Revenue is generated through tiered museum admission fees, exhibition catalogue sales, and supporting services such as guided tours and educational programs.

Product overview

Die Neue Sammlung - The Design Museum is a state museum and part of the Bayerische Staatliche Museen (Bavarian State Museums), housing one of the world's largest and most important collections of 20th and 21st-century applied arts and design with over 120,000 objects. The museum operates primarily as a physical institution with physical exhibitions, supported by a growing portfolio of digital products and services including: the Sammlung Online (Online Collection) platform launched in 2025 providing access to over 1,000 objects; the Sound of Design digital application making object sounds audible; the Design in Line educational game; and accessibility features including SUMM AI-powered easy language translation and an inclusive touch station. The museum also publishes exhibition catalogs and offers digital educational programs through MPZ digital. Digital offerings are delivered through the museum's website and are designed to complement and extend the physical museum experience, with the online collection and Sound of Design now integrated into a unified digital experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Die Neue Sammlung - The Design Museum One of the world's oldest and most significant design museums, dedicated to applied arts and design of the 20th and 21st centuries, housing over 120,000 objects across more than 20 design fields including industrial design, graphic design, computer culture, mobility, ceramics, metalwork, glass, textiles, and jewelry. Operates as a state museum for general public visitors.
• Sound of Design Web Application Interactive web application making the sounds of design objects audible, spanning 100 years of design history with up to 5 audio tracks per object. Visitors can create playlists and download sounds for private use. Originally a standalone web app, relocated to Sammlung Online in 2025 with a new design and additional acoustic experiences.
• Sammlung Online (Online Collection) Digital platform launched in 2025 providing online access to over 1,000 objects from the museum's collection. Features easy language integration via SUMM AI and incorporates the Sound of Design section, allowing visitors to browse and explore objects digitally from anywhere in the world.
• Design in Line Digital Game Digital game for children and families featuring the museum's mascot Smik. Nearly 300 collection objects can be sorted by nine properties including shape, color, materials, and design periods, teaching users about design through interactive play.
• Inklusive Taststation (Inclusive Touch Station) Inclusive sensory experience in the X-D-E-P-O-T exhibition featuring 17 objects that can be explored through multiple senses. Information available in German Sign Language via screens. Designed for people with visual, hearing, learning, or mobility disabilities.
• Exhibition Catalog: Anders Gesehen. Afrikanische Keramik Bilingual German/English exhibition catalogue, 448 pages, 343 illustrations, covering the African ceramics exhibition with over 250 objects from the Franz, Duke of Bavaria collection. Edited by Angelika Nollert and Barbara Thompson. Priced at 48.00 EUR.
• Sound of Design Exhibition Permanent exhibition focused on the sound of the 'Economic Miracle' era (1950s/1960s), featuring design objects that became characteristic for their sounds including typewriters, telephones, and cars. Curated by Caroline Fuchs and Polina Gedova.
• MPZ Digital Educational Programs Digital educational programs from the Museumspaedagogisches Bildungszentrum (MPZ), bringing museum treasures to homes, kindergartens, and schools. Includes topics like robotics, AI, software tools, architecture, and sustainability. Programs can be experienced visually and aurally.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SUMM AIcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Munich-based AI startup providing automatic translation of museum content into easy and simple language. Partnership active since 2024, making collection information accessible to people with learning difficulties, low literacy, or German language learners.
• MPZ (Museumspädagogisches Zentrum)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational center creating digital programs and educational content for schools and families. Provides workshops, learning materials, and museum education resources as part of the Freistaat Bayern and Landeshauptstadt München initiative.
• PIN. Freunde der Pinakothek der Moderne e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFriends organization supporting the Pinakothek der Moderne museums through funding exhibitions, projects, and art acquisitions. Supports presentations and programs including Sound of Design.
• British CouncilminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership through Design Connections program facilitating international collaborations including the ConneXions talk series and architect Asif Khan's exhibition design.
• Asif KhanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternationally renowned architect from London who designed the exhibition architecture for 'Anders Gesehen. Afrikanische Keramik'. Also working on Museum of London and Expo 2020 Dubai.
• BMW Group DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration exploring the connecting qualities of design through 'New Modes & New Collaborations' series featuring discussions with designers like Kai Langer, Hella Jongerius, and David Zilber.
• Bayerische StaatsgemäldesammlungencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization overseeing Die Neue Sammlung as part of the Bavarian State Museums system. Provides institutional governance and funding as a state museum.
• KulturRaum MünchenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for reduced admission programs making museum access more affordable for visitors.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin: Berlin's museum of decorative arts within the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Comparable as a fellow German state museum of applied arts and design, sharing the state-funded institutional model and German-speaking design audience.
• MoMA (Museum of Modern Art): New York's leading museum of modern and contemporary art and design. Directly comparable as a globally recognized institution curating 20th and 21st-century design, industrial design, and applied arts, serving overlapping visitor and researcher audiences.
• Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam: Amsterdam's museum for modern and contemporary art and design. Comparable as a European applied arts and design museum with significant collection holdings, exhibition rotation, and digital collection access serving an overlapping international visitor base.
• Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A): World's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing over 2.3 million objects. Comparable as a major applied arts and design institution with significant collection depth, educational programming, and digital collection access.
• Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum: The only other museum in the United States devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design. Directly comparable as a dedicated design museum with a major permanent collection, digital programs, and educational offerings targeting design professionals and the general public.
• MAK – Museum of Applied Arts (Vienna): Vienna's museum of applied arts and contemporary design. Comparable as a German-language applied arts museum with a similar curatorial scope spanning historic and contemporary design, plus active digital and educational programming.
• Vitra Design Museum: German design museum based in Weil am Rhein, focused on furniture and interior design. Comparable as a fellow German-language design museum with rotating exhibitions of contemporary and historic design, strong brand partnerships, and a similar visitor profile.
• Design Museum (London): London's leading dedicated design museum. Closely comparable as a museum focused exclusively on product, industrial, graphic, and architectural design, with a strong exhibition rotation model and digital audience engagement.
• Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Paris): Paris museum of decorative arts covering design, furniture, textiles, and graphic arts. Directly comparable as a major European applied arts and design museum with deep collection, exhibitions, and educational programs.

Broad incumbents

• Centre Pompidou: Paris institution covering modern and contemporary art and design across a much broader portfolio. Comparable as a major European cultural institution with overlapping design collection and exhibition programming, though it serves a wider scope than Die Neue Sammlung's dedicated design focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/die-neue-sammlung---the-international-design-museum-munich-pinakothek-der-moderne

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Die Neue Sammlung - The Design Museum