Galerie Neue Meister

The Galerie Neue Meister (New Masters Gallery) is one of Germany's most significant museums of modern painting, located in the Albertinum on the Brühl'sche Terrasse in Dresden. Part of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (State Art Collections), it displays approximately 300 paintings drawn from a collection of about 3,000 works, spanning from the early 19th century to the present day. The gallery's holdings encompass German Romanticism, civic realism, Impressionism, Expressionism, and contemporary art, alongside sculptures from the Dresden Sculpture Collection of the same period. Its name deliberately signals a break with the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Gallery), marking the emergence of a new consciousness and set of values rooted in the early 19th century.

The collection originated within the Dresden Painting Gallery. In 1843, Bernhard von Lindenau, director of the Royal Museums, initiated systematic purchases of contemporary art for a newly created "Modern Department," personally donating 700 talers annually for this purpose. The Academic Council supplemented these funds with 50 percent of the proceeds from its exhibitions, though resources remained tight and acquisitions were largely limited to German artists. Progress was initially slow: until 1882, the collection held only four major German Romantic works, two each by Caspar David Friedrich and Ludwig Richter.

Expansion accelerated under director Karl Woermann, particularly after the 1897 international art exhibition in Dresden prompted purchases of foreign contemporary works. Hans Posse, director from 1910, shaped the core holdings still significant today, strengthening collections of German Romanticism, Impressionism, and late 19th-century civic realism. The Dresden Museums Association (1911) and the Patrons Association (1917) provided crucial financial support.

In 1931, the Modern Department moved to a separate building on Brühl's Terrace, the Sekundogenitur, laying groundwork for the independent Galerie Neue Meister. The Nazi campaign against "degenerate art" cost the collection 56 paintings, including works by Edvard Munch, Max Beckmann, and Emil Nolde. The 1945 bombing of Dresden destroyed 196 paintings by fire while they were on a truck. The gallery was officially refounded in 1959 and has occupied the upper rooms of the Albertinum since 1965. During the GDR period, some works lost during and after World War II were reacquired.

Severe flooding of the Elbe in 2002 necessitated renovation of the Albertinum and construction of a flood-proof depot. The building reopened on 19 June 2010 with an expanded "Salzgasse Wing," formerly occupied by the Green Vault, which had moved to the renovated Dresden Castle. This addition now hosts changing exhibitions of contemporary art on 1,200 square meters.

The Galerie Neue Meister's collection is distinguished by its breadth across major movements of modern and contemporary art. Its primary strengths lie in three areas: German Romanticism, civic realism of the second half of the 19th century, and Impressionism. The Expressionist movement is strongly represented through works from the Dresden-based group Die Brücke, particularly Emil Nolde, as well as by Otto Dix and the New Objectivity movement. The collection extends to post-war and contemporary art, with dedicated rooms for Georg Baselitz, A.R. Penck, and Gerhard Richter. Contemporary artists including Neo Rauch, Luc Tuymans, and Eberhard Havekost are also featured. In addition to paintings, the gallery displays sculptures from the Dresden Sculpture Collection that correspond to the same periods as the surrounding paintings.

The gallery holds major works by numerous significant artists. German Romanticism is represented by Caspar David Friedrich, including Two Men Contemplating the Moon and Hünengrab im Herbst, as well as by Ludwig Richter, Carl Gustav Carus, and Ernst Ferdinand Oehme. Impressionist works include paintings by Lovis Corinth, Max Slevogt, Max Liebermann, and Eugen Bracht. French Impressionism appears through Claude Monet and Edgar Degas. The Expressionist and New Objectivity movements are represented by Otto Dix, Emil Nolde (including Brücke-period works), Max Beckmann, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Paula Modersohn-Becker, and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. Other notable holdings include single paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, as well as works by Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso, Arnold Böcklin (including The War), and Hans Thoma (The Guardian of the Valley). Contemporary art rooms are devoted to Georg Baselitz, A.R. Penck, and Gerhard Richter.

The Galerie Neue Meister is housed in the Albertinum, located on the Brühl'sche Terrasse in Dresden. The museum occupies the upper rooms of this building, which provides natural top lighting for the galleries. The Albertinum underwent extensive renovation and flood-proofing after the 2002 Elbe flood, reopening in June 2010. This renovation included expansion into the Salzgasse Wing, adding space for contemporary art exhibitions. The building's location on the Brühl'sche Terrasse places it within a prominent cultural complex in the historic center of Dresden.

The Galerie Neue Meister is located in the Albertinum on the Brühl'sche Terrasse in Dresden, Germany. It operates as part of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden and maintains a website at https://albertinum.skd.museum/. The Society of Modern Art in Dresden (Gesellschaft für moderne Kunst in Dresden e.V.), founded in 1994, supports the museum by raising funds for acquisitions and organizing permanent loans. Through this support, more than 30 works have been acquired and several exhibitions funded. The museum's collection is accessible through Google Arts & Culture.