Lenbachhaus Museum in Munich, Germany is to reopen on 8 May after a redesign by British architects Foster +Partners. Following a European competition, Foster +Partners won the project, developing a draft redesign which was later approved by the Munch City Council in 2008, with the building work start in the spring of 2009.

The museum has been carefully remodelled, with the addition of a new level of state-of-the-art galleries and the renovation of the historic villa and its gardens, which once belonged to the artist, Franz Von Lebach.

The renovations include a new entrance and social spaces, a terrace, educational areas and a restaurant and will allow visitors to once again enjoy the museum’s world famous ‘Blue Rider’ art collection and 19th-century Munich art. An impressive full-height atrium has also been constructed, which houses a large-scale work of art entitled Wirbelwerk by Olafur Eliasson.

The new galleries will also feature an innovative LED lighting technique developed for museum exhibitions. The lighting system was developed by the company OSRAM, in coordination with Lenbachhaus Gallery, the Building Department of Munich City Council and the artist Dietmar Tanterl.