If you find yourself face-to-face with a blue horse on your next trip to Munich, you’re not hallucinating—it’s likely part of the iconic collection housed in the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus (State Gallery in the Lenbach House). This cozy museum, located northwest of Munich’s city center, is world-renowned for its impressive collection of artworks from the Blue Rider (Der Blaue Reiter) movement.

The Birth of Blue Expressionism

The Blue Rider was not just a group of painters—it was a revolution in how art was seen and felt. Founded in 1911 by Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky and German artist Franz Marc, this loosely connected collective of artists, musicians, and visionaries challenged the conventional norms of their time.

They believed that color and form should reflect the artist’s inner emotions rather than the outer world. Blue, as a dominant color in their works, symbolized spirituality and depth. This movement marked a key turning point in the emergence of Abstract Expressionism.

The Blue Rider Philosophy

In 1912, the group published the Blaue Reiter Almanac, a groundbreaking publication that mixed different forms of art, from children’s drawings and folk art to music scores and essays. Kandinsky penned a now-famous essay within the almanac, describing how society had become blinded by convention:

“Men are blinded. A black hand covers their eyes.”

He emphasized liberation from traditional artistic form, asserting:

“We should never make a god out of form… it is not form (matter) that is generally most important, but content (spirit).”

To the Blu Rider artists, true art was not defined by what it looked like but by what it expressed. This was a daring and radical idea, especially during a time when classical realism still dominated Europe’s art scene.

Munich: The Cradle of Blue Innovation

Kandinsky moved to Munich in 1896 at the age of 30, drawn by the city’s buzzing art scene. While styles like Jugendstil (the German version of Art Nouveau) were in vogue, Kandinsky never felt aligned with any prevailing movement. His search for something more profound led him to the New Artists’ Association of Munich (NAA), where he met Franz Marc in 1909.

Marc, a lover of nature and animals, shared Kandinsky’s vision of art as a vessel for spiritual and emotional expression. Over coffee one day, they came up with the group name “Blue Rider.” According to Kandinsky:

“We both loved blu, Marc liked horses, and I riders. So the name came by itself.”

The First Blue Exhibition

In December 1911, after the NAA rejected one of Kandinsky’s paintings, he, Marc, and Gabriele Münter (Kandinsky’s partner and a talented artist in her own right) left the group. They organized their own exhibition—ironically, right next to the NAA show. Their debut exhibit included works from Robert Delaunay, August Macke, Henri Rousseau, and even composer Arnold Schoenberg.

Although critics were less than impressed, the Blu Rider artists pressed on. They staged a second exhibition and published their now-celebrated almanac the following year.

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Criticizing the Critics

Kandinsky was unapologetically bold in his disdain for traditional art critics:

“The ideal art critic would need the soul of a poet. In reality, critics are very often unsuccessful artists… who feel called upon to guide the creative ability of others.”

The Almanac’s success was surprising, prompting a second edition in 1914. However, a planned second volume never came to be due to the outbreak of World War I.

Blue Interrupted: War and Tragedy

The First World War scattered the Blu Rider collective. Kandinsky returned to Moscow, where he remained for eight years. Franz Marc joined the German military and was tragically killed in battle in 1916 at just 36 years old. Fellow Blue Rider artist August Macke also died in combat, marking a heartbreaking end to the movement’s core era.

Despite the war, Kandinsky’s career endured. He continued creating, evolving his style, and solidifying his legacy as a father of abstract painting. He died in France in 1944 at age 78.

Blue Lives On: Gabriele Münter and the Lenbachhaus

In 1957, Gabriele Münter donated her extensive collection of Blu Rider artworks to the Lenbachhaus in honor of her 80th birthday. Thanks to her, the museum now boasts one of the most comprehensive collections of Blu Rider art anywhere in the world.

Visitors can witness Kandinsky’s vivid compositions inspired by Bavarian folk art, Marc’s luminous depictions of animals in enchanted forests, and powerful works by other Blue Rider artists including Paul Klee, Marianne von Werefkin, and Alexey von Jawlensky.

A Blue Treasure Trove in Munich

The Lenbachhaus remains a must-visit destination for any fan of modern art. And yes, you’ll find plenty of blue—from horses and riders to abstract shapes and dreamlike landscapes.

In early 2009, the museum prepared to undergo major renovations, but before its temporary closure, it offered a rare treat: a full exhibition of Kandinsky’s graphic works, featuring over 230 pieces. Across the street, the Kunstbau gallery presented a collaborative retrospective with the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.

The exhibition eventually traveled to Paris in April and New York in September 2009, introducing the world once again to the deep emotional power and freedom symbolized by the color blue in modern art.

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