 For a number of years, he collected artwork for the Glyptothek, being instrumental in making the museum an important center for the study of classical sculpture.Brunn's impressive collection of casts at the Glyptothek was destroyed during World War II (1944).He was co-founder of "Denkmäler griechischer und römischer Skulptur in historischer Anordung" (1888), and was author of "Geischichte der griechischen Künstler", a publication that helped establish a chronology of ancient Greek art history.