| Munich Art Theatre | |
| City: | Munich |
| Country: | Germany |
| Architect: | Max Littmann |
| Capacity: | 619 |
| Type: | contemporary theatre building |
| Broke Ground: | 1907 |
| Opened: | 1908 |
| Closed: | 1914 |
| Demolished: | 1944 by Second World War bombing |
| Othernames: | Münchner Künstlertheater |
| Tenants: | Verein Münchner Künstlertheater / Max Reinhardt |
The Munich Art Theatre (Münchner Künstlertheater) was the first German theater constructed in the art nouveau style.[1] It was designed by Max Littmann and opened in 1908.
The main initiator was the journalist and dramatist Georg Fuchs, who in 1907 founded a society in Munich, the Verein Münchner Künstlertheater, with the expressed aim of building a theatre according to ‘artistic principles’.
The theatre was built with a shallow stage, apron, and no orchestra pit.
Seats were arranged in an amphitheatre form.
The most innovative feature was the ‘relief stage’ where the performers acted before a stylized backdrop.
Although the first productions coordinated by Fuchs were not particularly successful, the building and the relief stage attracted a good deal of attention.
In 1909 it was leased to Max Reinhardt and finally closed in 1914.
The building was destroyed during Second World War bombing.