Nationalgalerie museum opposite Charlottenburg Palace with fantastic art from Piranesi and Goya to Surrealism and Art Brut.
July 17, 2026 – November 15, 2026
The exhibition juxtaposes analog photographs by Kai Bornhöft with still lifes by the painter Frank Tornow and, in the spirit of the Surrealist “unusual neighborhood,” asks what emerges from this encounter.
The collection goes back to the industrialist Otto Gerstenberg, who around 1900 assembled an important collection of French prints, drawings, and paintings. His grandson Dieter Scharf expanded it after World War II with a focus on Surrealism and fantastic art. Since summer 2008 it has been on display in a Nationalgalerie building as a long-term loan from the heirs; the agreement, originally set for ten years, was extended for another ten years in 2018.
The venue is the eastern Stüler building on Schloßstraße, one of the two domed buildings that Friedrich August Stüler erected as officers' barracks opposite Charlottenburg Palace for Frederick William IV in the 1850s. The building was later used by the police and from 1967 housed the Egyptian Museum. After that museum returned to Museum Island, Sunder-Plassmann Architekten remodeled the ensemble of the Stüler building, the Marstall (former stables), and the Sahure Hall and added a glass entrance hall. The Kalabsha Gate and the columns of the Sahure temple are still part of the tour today.
Under the title “Surreale Welten” (Surreal Worlds), the museum shows the collection in changing presentations: from forerunners such as Piranesi, Goya, Redon, and Kubin, through Max Ernst, Magritte, Dalí, Tanguy, Masson, and Hans Bellmer, to the Art Brut of Jean Dubuffet. Smaller special exhibitions and a film series round out the program.
| Adults | €10 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €5School students, trainees/apprentices, university students, people in voluntary service, jobseekers receiving ALG I (unemployment benefit), and people with a severe disability of degree 50 or higher (proof required in each case) |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Children and young people under 18 are admitted free. |
| Seniors | –No senior discount. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €5companion free · Reduced admission from a degree of disability of 50; a companion recognized as medically necessary is admitted free if noted in the severe disability ID (Schwerbehindertenausweis). |
| Students & apprentices | €5Free admission as part of registered university courses or school class visits. |
| Groups (10+ people) | –Groups of 10 or more must register at least two weeks in advance (online ticket shop or info service); registration fee €10 per group (or subgroup); groups of 25 or more are split. |
| Families | –No family ticket; children and young people under 18 are admitted free. |
| Museumspass Berlin (3 days, permanent exhibitions) | €32reduced €16 |
Day tickets on site or online; advance sales start four weeks ahead. Free admission for, among others, recipients of Bürgergeld (citizen's income), housing benefit, basic income support, or benefits under the AsylbLG (Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act), members of ICOM, the Museumsbund, and the friends' associations of the Staatliche Museen, as well as press. Annual passes of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin are valid.
According to the SMB (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin), fully wheelchair-accessible. Trained assistance dogs are welcome.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
U2 Sophie-Charlotte-Platz, U7 Richard-Wagner-Platz; S-Bahn Westend; bus to Schloss Charlottenburg or Luisenplatz/Schloss Charlottenburg.
Café Kunstpause (Wed–Sun 10:00–18:00) and Walther König bookstore (Wed–Sun 11:00–18:00) on site. Coat check and lockers; no luggage.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photography is generally permitted; commercial photography requires permission, and restrictions apply in some exhibitions. |
| Good to know | Public highlight tours and workshops for schools and daycare centers; group tours can be booked via the SMB online ticket shop. Film series “Cinema Surreal” in 2026 every other Wednesday at 18:00. |
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