Neue Nationalgalerie

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The Neue Nationalgalerie was born of Berlin's division: after 1949, the original home of the Nationalgalerie on Museum Island remained in the East, while West Berlin initially built up a municipal “Galerie des 20. Jahrhunderts” (Gallery of the 20th Century). When these holdings were combined with the works of the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz that had ended up in the West, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was commissioned in 1962 to design a new building.

Construction on the edge of the Kulturforum began in 1965; a particularly spectacular moment came in 1967, when the enormous steel roof was raised hydraulically, with the architect personally in attendance. The museum opened on September 15, 1968. It remained Mies van der Rohe's last completed work and, with its column-free glass hall, is considered a key building of modernism; the architect died shortly after the opening.

After almost five decades of use, the building underwent a thorough renovation from 2015 to 2021 led by David Chipperfield Architects and reopened in August 2021. Klaus Biesenbach has been its director since 2022.

The hall hosts major solo exhibitions of contemporary art, while the lower level shows selections from the Nationalgalerie's 20th-century collection – currently art after 1945 and a group of works by Gerhard Richter. Next door, an extension building for the collection, “berlin modern”, is under construction.

Highlights

• Glass exhibition hall beneath the floating steel roof by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1968)
• Gerhard Richter's “Birkenau” cycle, part of 100 long-term loans from the artist
• Collection display on art in East and West between 1945 and 2000
• Works of classical modernism, including Expressionism and New Objectivity
• Sculpture garden on the lower level with changing works

Permanent exhibitions

• Zerreißprobe. Kunst zwischen Politik und Gesellschaft – Collection display on art from 1945 to 2000, showing artistic developments in East and West against the backdrop of division and upheaval.
• Gerhard Richter. 100 Werke für Berlin – Long-term loan from the Gerhard Richter Kunststiftung; at its center is the four-part “Birkenau” cycle, which addresses the question of whether the Holocaust can be represented.

Founded

1968

Operated by

Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz

Director

Klaus Biesenbach

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Every first Thursday of the month 16:00–20:00 (Art4All)

Regular price = museum ticket for all exhibitions. Day tickets at the ticket desk or online, advance sales usually four weeks ahead. Annual passes of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin are valid. Free admission for, among others, recipients of Bürgergeld (citizen's income), housing benefit or basic income support, ICOM members and press.

Accessibility

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

Step-free access via a ramp at the corner of Potsdamer Straße/Reichpietschufer; elevator in the hall to the lower level. Loan wheelchairs, strollers and folding stools at the cloakroom. Tactile model of the building with audio text (QR code), tactile floor plan at the ticket desk, Braille on the stair handrails. No tactile floor guidance system in the building and no audio guides.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly

Regular workshops for children (ages 6–12 or 9–12, some lasting several days during school holidays) and for families, as well as open drop-in sessions. Free companion booklet on the architecture for families with children aged 6 to 12 at the ticket desk. Strollers can be borrowed at the cloakroom on the lower level; the building has step-free access with a ramp and elevator.

Getting there & parking

Accessible entrance via the ramp at the corner of Potsdamer Straße/Reichpietschufer.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

BMB SpreeCafé on the lower level; Walther König bookshop. Larger bags (over 30×20×10 cm) must be checked; no luggage.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

The hall can be rented for receptions and dinners through Museum&Location, the events company of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.

Plan your visit