Leuchtenberg Gallery

The Leuchtenberg Gallery was a private art collection belonging to the Dukes of Leuchtenberg, displayed in Munich. It became well known across 19th-century Europe because it was open to the public and had a high-quality illustrated catalogue in several languages. The collection began with works inherited from Napoleonic times through Joséphine de Beauharnais. Later, additions were made by the Dukes, particularly Eugène de Beauharnais. By 1841, the collection was largely complete and considered one of the most important private collections of its time. The gallery was housed in the Palais Leuchtenberg, the family’s residence in Munich. Leo von Klenze designed the palace between 1817 and 1821. The gallery opened to the public at least by 1837, with catalogues published in French and German from 1825. An English illustrated catalogue followed in 1852. After Duke Maximilian’s death in 1852, the collection was divided among his children and the palace was sold. Today, parts of the collection are scattered across museums worldwide. Some works ended up in Saint Petersburg’s Mariinsky Palace and later the Imperial Academy of Arts. Others were sold or dispersed after the Russian Revolution in 1917. Many paintings now belong to institutions like the Hermitage and the Pushkin Museum, while others are in private hands or lost. The palace itself no longer serves as a gallery but remains a notable example of early 19th-century architecture in Munich.