Doerner Institut

What Doerner Institut does

The Doerner Institut is an EU-validated, non-university research institute belonging to the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen (Bavarian State Painting Collections) and housed within the Neue Pinakothek in Munich, Germany. Founded in 1937 as the "Reich Institute for Painting Technology" by Max Doerner, it conserves, restores, and scientifically examines the Bavarian state's painting collections — spanning the 14th century to contemporary art across the Alte Pinakothek, Neue Pinakothek, Pinakothek der Moderne, Sammlung Schack, Museum Brandhorst, and 12 state galleries. Its work covers conservation, restoration of paintings and contemporary installations, preventive conservation of more than 35,000 m² of exhibition space, art-technological research, and museum/exhibition technical services including art handling, depot management, and a carpentry workshop.

Its technology stack centres on advanced imaging and material-analytical instrumentation — radiography, infrared reflectography, macro X-ray fluorescence scanning (RFA imaging), Raman spectroscopy, FTIR microscopy, GC/MS, amino acid analysis, and VIS spectroscopy — together with proprietary assets such as the VASARI scanner (developed with the National Gallery London in the 1990s) and in-house software for integrated pest management and thermal-hygric/light simulation. A reference library spanning more than 7,000 works (science department) and approximately 10,000 works (conservation department), plus a partial Forbes Pigment Collection and the Martius Pharmacognosic Collection, underpins its research.

The institute is primarily funded through Bavarian state government appropriations as part of its public cultural-heritage mandate; it does not operate a commercial go-to-market. In carefully selected cases it offers fee-based art-technological and scientific appraisals (authenticity/age assessments) to other museums, authorities, the art trade, and private individuals under a published fee schedule (Gebührenordnung), and it disseminates knowledge through publications, lectures, social media, and the annual European Day of Conservation/Restoration.

Name

Doerner Institut

Legal name

Doerner Institut

Website

https://doernerinstitut.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Doerner Institut is a Munich-based, EU-validated non-university research institute within the Bavarian State Painting Collections that conserves, restores, and scientifically examines 30,000+ artworks across the Pinakotheken and 12 Bavarian state galleries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Museum Conservation and Art-Technological Research

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Historic Preservation & Conservation Planning (BPAHAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Archival Preservation & Conservation (Handling, Storage, Environmental Controls) (MPADAMAF), Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation) (EDAEAGAJ)

Keywords

• Art conservation services
• Painting restoration services
• Art technological research
• Preventive conservation services
• Museum conservation science

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Institutional Funding: As an EU-validated non-university research institute affiliated with the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen (Bavarian State Painting Collections), the institute is primarily funded through Bavarian state government appropriations. Its core mandate — conserving and restoring the collections of the Pinakotheken and state galleries — is a public cultural mission.
2. Art-Technological and Scientific Appraisals (Gutachten): In carefully selected cases, the institute conducts technologically-scientific appraisals of paintings for other museums, authorities, the art trade, or private persons (e.g., authenticity/forgery assessments). These are fee-based services governed by a published fee schedule (Gebührenordnung). Capacity is limited, with typical wait times of several months.
3. Publications and Scholarly Works: The institute publishes monographs, exhibition catalogues, conference proceedings, and project-specific publications. These are sold through publishers and made partially available as downloads.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Doerner Institut conserves and restores the rich holdings of the Pinakotheken in Bavaria, spanning the 14th century to contemporary art, operates art-technological and natural-scientific research, and is responsible for museum and exhibition technology including preventive conservation, art handling, transport, and depot management. It combines conservation-restoration, painting-technique studies, natural science, and art history under one roof to support long-term preservation of cultural heritage for the Bavarian state collections. In justified cases it also provides fee-based art-technological and scientific appraisals to other museums, authorities, the art trade, and private individuals.

Product overview

The Doerner Institut operates as a comprehensive art conservation and research institute offering a unified portfolio of interconnected services. The core offerings include conservation measures, restoration of paintings and contemporary installations, preventive conservation, scientific examinations using advanced imaging and material analysis techniques, art-technological research, and authenticity appraisals. These services are supported by comprehensive documentation practices, museum and exhibition technical services (including art handling, transport, and exhibition setup), collection care, and an extensive artist materials collection serving as a research resource. The institute's unique structure integrates conservation, restoration, art technology, natural sciences, and museum technology under one roof—a structure described as unique in Germany. The services are not commercial software products but rather specialized museum research and conservation services provided for the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen and, in select cases, external clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Konservierung (Conservation Services)
• Restaurierung (Restoration Services)
• Präventive Konservierung (Preventive Conservation)
• Naturwissenschaftliche Untersuchungen (Scientific Examinations)
• Kunsttechnologische Forschung (Technical Art History Research)
• Echtheitsgutachten (Authenticity Appraisals)
• Dokumentation (Documentation Services)
• Museums- und Ausstellungstechnik (Museum and Exhibition Technology)
• Sammlungspflege (Collection Care)

Quantifiable outcome

• Preservation of 30,000 works of art across Bavaria's state collections, spanning from the 14th century to contemporary art
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Technical University of Munich (TUM) — Chair of Conservation-Restoration, Art Technology and Conservation SciencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Since 1998, the Doerner Institut has maintained close cooperation with the Chair of Conservation-Restoration, Art Technology and Conservation Science at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). This partnership integrates the institute into university-level education of restorers, enabling joint research, academic exchange, and knowledge transfer between applied museum science and academic conservation training.
• National Gallery, LondonflagshipTechnology or Integration · 1 January 1990In the 1990s, the Doerner Institut cooperated with the National Gallery, London to develop the VASARI scanner — a high-resolution system for analogue and subsequently digital infrared reflectography. This joint technology development enabled significant advances in non-invasive examination of paintings and remains a landmark collaboration in art-technological imaging.
• Harvard Art Museums — Straus Center for Conservation and Technical StudiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Doerner Institut holds a partial set of the Forbes Pigment Collection from the Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies at Harvard Art Museums, which forms part of its extensive collection of historical and modern colourants used as reference material for art-technological research.
• Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg — Martius Pharmacognosic CollectionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Doerner Institut houses a partial set of the Martius Pharmacognosic Collection from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, assembled mainly in the first half of the 19th century. It contains naturally aged reference materials such as natural resins, providing invaluable benchmarks for pigment and binding medium research.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rathgen-Forschungslabor (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin): Rathgen is Germany's other leading museum research laboratory within the Prussian/Berlin state museums. It performs scientific examination and conservation research on paintings and artifacts — a direct national peer to Doerner.
• Getty Conservation Institute: The Getty Conservation Institute (Los Angeles) is one of the world's leading art and architectural conservation research institutes. Like Doerner, it conducts scientific examination, conservation research, and training, and publishes authoritative works on conservation science — making it a closely comparable peer.
• C2RMF — Centre for Research and Restoration of the Museums of France: C2RMF (Paris) is France's national laboratory dedicated to conservation and restoration of museum collections. It performs scientific analysis, conservation treatment, and research for state museums — directly comparable in mission and structure to Doerner.
• Conservation Center, Institute of Fine Arts, NYU: NYU's Conservation Center is a leading academic program combining conservation training with scientific research on artworks. It shares Doerner's interdisciplinary conservation-science approach and TUM-style university partnership model.
• Harvard Art Museums — Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies: The Straus Center at Harvard is a pioneering painting-conservation research center that holds the Forbes Pigment Collection (partial set held by Doerner). It conducts scientific examination, conservation, and training — a directly comparable peer institute.
• Istituto Centrale per il Restauro (ICR, Rome): ICR is Italy's central restoration institute for cultural heritage, providing scientific analysis and conservation treatment for state collections. Directly comparable in mission and government affiliation.
• National Gallery Scientific Department (London): The National Gallery London's Scientific Department performs technical examination and research on paintings, and co-developed the VASARI scanner with Doerner. Its scope, methodology, and museum-affiliated mandate make it a direct peer.
• Opificio delle Pietre Dure (Florence): Opificio delle Pietre Dure is a long-established Italian state restoration laboratory specializing in painting and stone conservation. It shares Doerner's government affiliation and conservation-research mandate.

Regional players

• Canadian Conservation Institute: CCI is Canada's federal conservation research and treatment center, providing scientific examination and conservation services to heritage institutions. Similar government-affiliated research mandate, but geographically distinct from Doerner.
• RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: RKD is the Netherlands' national institute for art-historical documentation and research, including technical art history. Comparable in research and archival mission to Doerner, but serving Dutch collections rather than competing directly in Bavaria.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pinakotheken
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Pinakotheken
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/doerner-institut

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Doerner Institut