Galerie Neue Meister

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The roots of the Galerie Neue Meister lie in the Dresden picture gallery, which increasingly acquired works by contemporary artists after 1843. After responsibility for the collections passed from the royal house to the state in 1831, the holdings of 19th-century painting grew quickly. Plans for a separate museum of modern art were thwarted by World War I; from 1931 the works created after 1800 were shown as the “Neue Staatliche Gemäldegalerie” (New State Picture Gallery) on the Brühlsche Terrasse, but it had to close again as early as 1938.

The Nazi era brought heavy losses: in 1937, 56 paintings were confiscated as “degenerate”, including works by Beckmann, Kirchner, Nolde and Munch, and a further 196 pictures were lost in the bombing of Dresden in 1945. In 1959 the Galerie Neue Meister was founded as an independent museum of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen (State Art Collections) and in 1965 was permanently installed in the Albertinum, where it developed into one of the most important art venues in the GDR.

During the Elbe flood of 2002, the holdings were rescued from the basement storage rooms; after renovation and the construction of a flood-proof storage facility above the atrium, the Albertinum reopened in 2010. Since 2000 the museum has borne the name Galerie Neue Meister so as to include media such as video, sound installation and performance as well.

Of the roughly 3,000 works in the collection, around 300 are on display – in a shared tour with the Skulpturensammlung ab 1800 (Sculpture Collection from 1800). The focal points are German Romanticism, Realism and Impressionism, Expressionism and New Objectivity, art from the GDR, and contemporary art up to Gerhard Richter.

Highlights

• Caspar David Friedrich: “The Cross in the Mountains” (Tetschen Altar)
• Caspar David Friedrich: “Two Men Contemplating the Moon”
• Otto Dix: triptych “Der Krieg” (The War)
• Claude Monet: “The Jar of Peaches”
• Two rooms with works by Gerhard Richter

Permanent exhibitions

• Kunst von der Romantik bis zur Gegenwart – Tour of the paintings of the Galerie Neue Meister in dialogue with the Sculpture Collection from 1800 – from Caspar David Friedrich through Expressionism and GDR art to Gerhard Richter.

Founded

1959

Operated by

Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden

Director

Hilke Wagner

Admission & discounts

The Albertinum house ticket is valid for the collection display (Galerie Neue Meister), the Sculpture Collection from 1800 and, according to the website, also for special exhibitions; no time slots. SKD day ticket for all museums except exhibitions with timed tickets €28 (SparkassenCard €21); SKD annual pass €95 (reduced €45, students €25, seniors €70). Free admission on your birthday.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

Step-free entrance with automatic door on Georg-Treu-Platz (between the Lipsiusbau and the Albertinum); the entrance from the Brühlsche Terrasse has steps. All floors are step-free, with a wheelchair-accessible toilet on the ground floor behind the ticket desk. Accessible parking spaces at the Frauenkirche (in front of the Hochschule für Bildende Künste). Cloakroom counter with tactile orientation aids, brochure in Easy Language (Leichte Sprache). Guided tours for blind and visually impaired people, with sign language interpretation, in Easy Language and for people with dementia.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities
• Kids’ birthday parties

Three children's tours in the free multimedia guide (30–60 min. per floor) and the “Kunst4Kids” audio guide; open studio every third Sunday; children's birthday parties for ages 5 to 10 (approx. 2 hrs.). Strollers are generally allowed, but entry may be refused when it is very crowded; nursing and baby changing facilities in every museum. No food, drinks or larger diaper bags in the exhibitions.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Wi-Fi

Walther König bookshop in the atrium. Free cloakroom (bags larger than 20 × 15 × 10 cm must be checked), free Wi-Fi “MUSEUM_SKD”.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Up to 800 guests.

Rentals through MSU Museen erleben GmbH: the atrium (1,300 m², standing reception up to 800, banquet 600, row seating 700 people; rental rates scaled up to 1,000 guests; dancing possible) and the Hermann-Glöckner-Raum for conferences and lectures (up to 72 people). Events outside opening hours; can be combined with a museum visit.

Plan your visit