Bag Culture

The repertoire of the Munich exhibition takes in purses and pouches, hunting bags, wallets for letters, and modern handbags.

Elector Maximilian I’s game bag and King Ludwig I’s velvet purse worked
with silver embroidery belong to some of the most valuable exhibitioin pieces. These historic bags are added by choice examples demonstrating changing tastes from the 1920s to today in the collections of traditional producers. Classics include, for instance, the famous Kelly Bag from Hermès and the 2.55 designed, as the name suggests, in February 1955 by Coco Chanel.

Two handbags once owned by Marlene Dietrich and unique examples made by artists from Munich, Paris and New York are set apart by their unusual and original design, as well as the high quality of their workmanship.

From the 16th to the 21st century, the exhibition opens visitors’ eyes to the variety of forms and materials taken by this multifaceted and,
at the same time, functional accessory.