Franz Marc Museum Kochel: »Light Becomes Colour« – journeys to Tunisia until January 2027

Published 4 November 2026 · approx. 5 min read

Franz Marc Museum Kochel: the exhibition »Light Becomes Colour«

In the middle of grey November, the Franz Marc Museum Kochel brings the light of North Africa to Lake Kochel. According to the museum, the special exhibition runs from 11 October 2026 to 17 January 2027 and tells the story of two journeys that shaped modern painting:

• Gabriele Münter and Wassily Kandinsky travelled to Tunis and its surroundings in 1904/05.
• Paul Klee, August Macke and Louis Moilliet set off on their famous trip to Tunisia in spring 1914.
• Around 60 works: paintings, watercolours, drawings, prints and photographs.
• Audio guide: about 20 minutes, free via the web app on your own smartphone.
• Hands-on room for children aged 5 and up.

The 1914 journey in particular is regarded as a turning point in art history – above all for Paul Klee, whose work was driven by colour from then on. The exhibition shows how the dazzling light, white houses and domes were translated into fields of colour. It is funded by the Kulturfonds Bayern.

The museum above Lake Kochel

The Franz Marc Museum stands in the Franz Marc Park above the village of Kochel – a place with a link to its namesake, as Franz Marc lived in Ried near Kochel from 1914. Alongside the special exhibition, the museum shows works by Franz Marc and artists of the »Blauer Reiter« and »Brücke« groups; the collection is included in your ticket. If you want more Expressionism, the Buchheim Museum on Lake Starnberg reopens after its refurbishment break on 4 December.

Opening hours and admission

According to the museum's website (as of November 2026):

• November to March: Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays, 10 am to 5 pm (open on Mondays when a holiday falls on a Monday)
• Closed: 24 and 31 December
• Adults: €11 – including collection, special exhibition and audio guide via web app
• Children and young people (7–16): €2.50
• Family ticket (children up to 16): €22
• Reduced (students, trainees, people with a disability of 50 % or more, with ID): €6
• Audio guide device hire: €1.50 (free for children)

The museum does not list separate hours for 25 and 26 December or 1 January – please check franz-marc-museum.de shortly before your visit. In winter the museum café »Café Franz am See« is open Thursday to Sunday, 11 am to 4:30 pm, but closed for holidays from 12 to 29 November 2026.

Getting there from Königsdorf

• By car: about 25 minutes south on the B11, past Benediktbeuern to Kochel am See.
• Parking: the museum has no visitor car park of its own. Use the public car park at Mittenwalder Straße 50 (P1 about 5, P2 about 10 minutes' walk). There are three disabled parking spaces right at the museum.
• By train and bus: hourly trains run from Munich to Kochel; the museum is about 15 minutes' walk from the station. Bus 9608 stops at »Franz Marc Museum«.
• Address: Franz Marc Museum, Franz Marc Park 8–10, 82431 Kochel am See

Back at the Schlossquelle, free parking and an EV charger are waiting. Travelling with your dog? Dogs are very welcome with us – please check with the museum directly whether they are allowed inside. More in our guide to holidays with a dog.

Making it an art day on Lake Kochel

Benediktbeuern Abbey on the way, art at the Franz Marc Museum at midday, and in the afternoon a drive over the Kesselberg road to the Walchensee – ideas for the area are in our Walchensee & Kochelsee guide. More suggestions for cold and wet days are collected in our rainy-day guide. In the evening, return to the wooden chalet with its play and reading gallery for up to four, or the apartment for two with a south-west terrace.