National Gallery Berlin

The National Gallery in Berlin (German: Nationalgalerie) is Germany's premier museum for art of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, comprising six distinct locations across the city. Founded in 1861 and originally housed in the Alte Nationalgalerie, which opened on Museum Island in 1876, the institution has expanded into a constellation of museums that together form part of the Berlin State Museums (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin) under the ownership of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz). Unlike many national galleries that began as repositories of historical art, the Berlin Nationalgalerie was conceived from its inception as a museum of contemporary art, a mission it continues to fulfill today by collecting and exhibiting European and international art from the nineteenth century to the present.

The Nationalgalerie's origins trace to 1861, when banker and consul Joachim Heinrich Wilhelm Wagener bequeathed his collection of 262 contemporary artworks to the Prussian state, hoping to catalyze the formation of a gallery of 'more recent' art. This initial collection, known as the Wagenersche und Nationalgalerie, was first housed in the buildings of the Prussian Academy of Arts. The decision to establish a permanent home gained momentum from broader political aspirations, particularly the desire for Berlin to achieve recognition as a world capital, ambitions that intensified during the revolutionary period around 1848.

Friedrich August Stüler began designing a dedicated building in 1863, working from a sketch by King Frederick William IV of Prussia. After two rejected proposals, his third plan was accepted; following Stüler's death, Carl Busse completed the detailed planning, and Heinrich Strack supervised construction from 1867. The building, today's Alte Nationalgalerie, opened on March 22, 1876, in the presence of William I, by then German Emperor.

The museum's early development was shaped significantly by its first directors. Max Jordan, appointed in 1874 before the building was completed, established an unusually large sculpture collection and a drawings department, though he faced resistance from the Regional Art Commission against acquiring modernist works. His successor, Hugo von Tschudi, who took over in 1896, transformed the institution by securing private patronage, largely from Jewish collectors, to acquire Impressionist masterpieces by Manet, Monet, Degas, and others. In 1897, the Nationalgalerie became the first museum in the world to acquire a painting by Cézanne. This modernizing direction provoked opposition from academic connoisseurs and led Kaiser Wilhelm II to decree in 1899 that all acquisitions required his personal approval.

Ludwig Justi, director from 1909, continued this progressive course, establishing the 'Galerie der Lebenden' (Gallery of Living Artists) in the Kronprinzenpalais in 1919, which showcased Expressionist and contemporary art until 1933. The Nazi regime dealt devastating blows to the institution: Justi was dismissed in 1933, and in 1937 approximately 500 works were confiscated as 'degenerate art' (Entartete Kunst), many subsequently displayed at the infamous Munich exhibition before being sold or destroyed. During World War II, the collections were evacuated for protection, but the Alte Nationalgalerie building itself was destroyed by bombing.

The postwar division of Berlin split the collection. In East Berlin, the Alte Nationalgalerie on Museum Island was partially rebuilt and reopened in 1949, with Justi returning as director from 1950 until his death in 1957. In West Berlin, the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz assumed administration in 1957, and the truncated collection was eventually housed in the Neue Nationalgalerie, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, which opened at the Kulturforum on September 15, 1968. Following German reunification in 1990, the divided collections were merged in 1992 and reorganized in 1993, with holdings now distributed across six locations. The Verein der Freunde der Nationalgalerie, founded by Justi in 1929 and re-established in 1977 by Peter Raue and Dieter Honisch, continues to support acquisitions and exhibitions.

The Nationalgalerie's collection encompasses European and international art from the late 18th century to the present day, spanning approximately 6,000 works following the 1992 reunification. Its historical focus has been on Germany, Europe, and North America, reflecting both the circumstances of its formation and the divisions of the 20th century. The collection is organized chronologically and thematically across its multiple locations, with 19th-century art housed primarily in the Alte Nationalgalerie and Friedrichswerdersche Kirche, 20th-century art from classical modernism through the 1960s in the Neue Nationalgalerie, Berggruen Museum, and Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection, and contemporary art in the Hamburger Bahnhof.

The 19th-century holdings are particularly strong in German art, from Neoclassicism and Romanticism through Biedermeier, Realism, and Impressionism. The early collection emphasized Belgian history painting and the Düsseldorf school acquisitions, but under Hugo von Tschudi expanded dramatically to include French Impressionism. The 20th-century collection was pioneering in its embrace of Expressionism and international modernism, though it suffered catastrophic losses under the Nazis. Postwar divisions added complexity: the East Berlin collection incorporated works from the German Democratic Republic, while the West Berlin collection developed separately under the SPK. Since reunification, the collection has continued to grow through strategic acquisitions, including the integration of the Berggruen Collection in 1996 and the Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection in 2008, as well as the 2024 acquisition of Camille Claudel's sculpture 'The Implorer' for the Alte Nationalgalerie.

The Alte Nationalgalerie contains several suites of works that rank among the most significant in European art history. The Caspar David Friedrich collection includes 'Monk by the Sea' and 'Abbey Among Oak Trees,' both acquired by the Prussian king in 1810 and foundational to Friedrich's reputation, as well as 'The Lonely Tree' and 'Der Watzmann.' Karl Friedrich Schinkel's architectural fantasies, including 'Gothic Church on a Rock by the Sea' and 'View of the Flower of Greece,' form another core holding, complemented by his designs for the Nazarene frescoes depicting the Old Testament story of Joseph, originally created for the Casa Bartholdy in Rome.

The museum's Impressionist acquisitions, initiated by Tschudi, include Édouard Manet's 'In the Conservatory' and Claude Monet's 'View of Vétheuil,' with additional works by Renoir, Degas, and Paul Cézanne, whose 'Still Life with Flowers and Fruit' is a highlight. The sculpture collection features Auguste Rodin's 'The Age of Bronze' and 'The Thinker,' and the 2024 acquisition of Camille Claudel's 'The Implorer' bridges the museum's Impressionist holdings with works by women artists.

Adolph Menzel is represented by a world-class concentration of works, including 'The Iron-Rolling Mill,' 'The Balcony Room,' 'The Petition,' and scenes from the life of Frederick the Great. Johann Gottfried Schadow's 'Princesses Luise and Friederike' anchors the sculpture collection. Other significant works include Arnold Böcklin's 'Isle of the Dead,' Lovis Corinth's 'The Blind Samson,' and paintings by Max Liebermann that herald German Impressionism. The Friedrichswerdersche Kirche displays additional 19th-century sculpture, including early works from the century's first decades.

The Neue Nationalgalerie and associated 20th-century collections hold major works of classical modernism, including pieces by Pablo Picasso at the Berggruen Museum, while the Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection specializes in Surrealist art from French Romanticism onward. The Hamburger Bahnhof presents contemporary art from the 1960s to the present.

The Nationalgalerie's original building, the Alte Nationalgalerie on Museum Island, was designed by Friedrich August Stüler, a student of Karl Friedrich Schinkel, and completed by Heinrich Strack. Construction began in 1867 and concluded with the opening in 1876. The building deliberately evokes a Greco-Roman temple, combining late Classicism and early Neo-Renaissance elements, with an inscription over the door reading 'To German Art, 1871' commemorating the founding of the German Empire rather than the building's completion. The design incorporates symbolic references to church architecture, including an apse, and theatrical elements such as a grand staircase, intended to express 'the unity of art, nation, and history.' An equestrian statue of Frederick William IV by sculptor Alexander Calandrelli crowns the stairs, and Otto Geyer's frieze on the interior stairs depicts German history from prehistoric times to the 19th century.

The building suffered severe damage during World War II but was rebuilt and reopened in 1949. Its location on Museum Island places it within a UNESCO World Heritage site alongside other major Prussian museums.

The Neue Nationalgalerie at the Kulturforum, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, opened in 1968 and represents one of the architect's final major works. Its modernist glass and steel pavilion provides a stark contrast to the temple-like Alte Nationalgalerie. The Hamburger Bahnhof, a former railway station converted to museum use, opened as the Museum für Gegenwart in 1996. The Berggruen Museum and Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection occupy the western and eastern Stülerbau buildings respectively, facing Charlottenburg Palace. The Friedrichswerdersche Kirche, a church designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, opened as a Nationalgalerie annexe in September 1987 but was closed from 2012 to 2020 due to structural damage.

The Nationalgalerie's six locations are distributed across Berlin and accessible through the Berlin State Museums system. The Alte Nationalgalerie on Museum Island (Museumsinsel) displays 19th-century art and can be visited with a Museum Island Day Ticket visiting multiple museums. The average visitor spends approximately one hour there, with additional time for temporary exhibitions. The Neue Nationalgalerie at the Kulturforum houses 20th-century art through the 1960s. The Hamburger Bahnhof, located elsewhere in the city, presents contemporary art. The Berggruen Museum and Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection are both in Charlottenburg, in the Stülerbau buildings near Charlottenburg Palace. The Friedrichswerdersche Kirche, after its closure for structural repairs from 2012 to 2020, again displays early 19th-century sculpture.

The museums are owned by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and operated as part of the Berlin State Museums. Since 2020, the institution has been led by three separate directorships corresponding to chronological divisions: Anette Hüsch directs 19th-century art (Alte Nationalgalerie and Friedrichswerdersche Kirche), Klaus Biesenbach directs 20th-century art (Neue Nationalgalerie, Museum Berggruen, and Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection), and Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath direct contemporary art at the Hamburger Bahnhof. The Verein der Freunde der Nationalgalerie continues its support for acquisitions and special exhibitions, maintaining a tradition of private patronage established in the museum's earliest decades.