art galleries to visit in berlin

Awesome, you're subscribed!

Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon!

The best things in life are free.

Sign up for our email to enjoy your city without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush).

Déjà vu! We already have this email. Try another?

By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions.

Love the mag?

Our newsletter hand-delivers the best bits to your inbox. Sign up to unlock our digital magazines and also receive the latest news, events, offers and partner promotions.

• Things to Do
• Attractions
• Restaurants
• Los Angeles

Get us in your inbox

🙌 Awesome, you're subscribed!

The 13 best art museums and galleries in Berlin

The best art museums and galleries in Berlin still brim with talent and creativity; cities don't come more creative

Between the museums, galleries and attractions , you’re never short of a culture fix in Berlin . Its museums are for your first-time visit, to tick off the city’s fascinating history. But if you want to get a feel for the art and exhibitions produced by locals for locals, you’re in the right place. 

What makes the art in Berlin so magical is the sheer diversity of what’s on offer. Berlin has it all, all the way from the grimy experimental stuff to the high-end fine art stuff. This is where new ideas are born – you just have to know the right places to look. If you’re even a tiny bit into your art, you’re going to love it here. Trust us. Here’s our guide to the best art museums and galleries in Berlin. 

RECOMMENDED: 📍 The best things to do in Berlin 🪩 The best clubs in Berlin 🍴 The best restaurants in Berlin 🏡 The best Airbnbs in Berlin

Anna Geary-Meyer is a writer based in Berlin. At Time Out, all of our  travel guides  are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our  editorial guidelines . 

An email you’ll actually love

Best art museums and galleries in Berlin

1.  Contemporary Fine Arts

Arguably Berlin’s best-known gallery space, Contemporary Fine Arts has been promoting idiosyncratic art from around the world since 1992. Run by Nicole Hackert and Bruno Brunnet, CFA’s programme blends the outré and fresh with big names in their airy Chipperfield-designed building near Museum Island. The diversity of the roster means that at any one time, you’re likely to see works by everyone from Berlin’s infamous Jonathan Meese to Georg Baselitz, Marc Brandenburg, the late Norbert Schwontkowski, Gert and Uwe Tobias, Daniel Richter and Katja Strunz, as well as Brits including Sarah Lucas, Peter Doig and Chris Ofili.

2.  East Side Gallery

This mile-long section of the Berlin Wall preserves the paintings made on the Wall’s eastern side when it was brought down and is one of the most significant open-air permanent art exhibits in the world. The East Side Gallery, featuring over 100 murals, graffiti artworks, slogans and tags executed by a collective of Berlin artists, is a memorial to the pioneering street spirit that buzzed around the city during reunification. Today the Gallery’s artworks are almost as anachronistic as the Wall itself and are in constant danger of vanishing under duress of the elements, lack of resources for restoration and countless scribbles from tourists, graffiti artists and vandals. Although attempting to preserve the spirit of the time, an argument blew up when the restoration project of recent years was seen to overstep the mark, with original artworks being painted over without the artists’ permission. Despite this, the Gallery is still essential, providing a flavour of the city’s cultural and artistic history.

3.  Galerie Capitain Petzel

Housed in a dramatic, Soviet-era modernist block at the top of the Frankfurter Allee in East Berlin, Capitain Petzel is a light and airy space that, in a former life, was used to showcase ideologically-friendly art during the GDR era. Today, thanks to Cologne gallerist Gisela Capitain and her partner Friedrich Petzel, the programme takes in a wide range of contemporary artists from around the world, including John Stezaker, Wade Guyton, Martin Kippenberger and Sarah Morris. Even if none of these names draws you, Petzel’s premises are worth visiting for the architecture alone. 

4.  Kunstraum Kreuzberg / Bethanien

Far removed from the swanky galleries out West and in Mitte, Künstlerhaus Bethanien is both an exhibition space and a studio for working artists. Bethanien is a former hospital built in 1847 under the orders of Frederick William IV, and today the impressive grounds house contemporary art with a sociopolitical bent. The open studio events get lively, especially in the summer months.

5.  König Galerie

Johann König (half-brother of New York gallerist Leo and son of museum-man Kaspar) is one of Berlin’s bona fide iconoclasts. After opening his gallery aged 21 in 2002, he promptly eschewed convention by inviting his friend, artist Jeppe Hein, to install a wrecking ball that swung about perilously, knocking chunks out of the gallery walls whenever anyone entered the room. Nearly two decades later, König is regarded as one of the leading lights in a gallery scene that’s certainly not short of wilful, eccentric and obstinate characters. Today the gallery has taken up residence at St. Agnes Church, an imposing Brutalist structure.

6.  KW Institute for Contemporary Art

Housed in a former margarine factory, Kunst Werke has been a major non-profit showcase for new talent since the early 1990s. Today curator Ellen Blumenstein promises more emollient, audience-friendly programmes, insisting the institution move back from the (occasionally) esoteric and baffling and return to engaging with the public. A lively programme of exhibitions, film screenings, talks and presentations means that 20 years on, KW remains very much at the heart of Berlin’s cultural agenda.

7.  Galerie Eigen + Art

Gerd Harry ‘Judy’ Lybke is one of the more eccentric characters on the Berlin art scene. A charismatic colossus of post-reunification German creativity, Lybke – along with Christian Ehrentraut and tutor Matthias Kleindienst – nurtured the so-called ‘Leipzig School’ in the early 1990s. Lybke, perhaps more than anyone, recognised the value of exporting the distinctive blend of figurative and abstract painting, executed at a time of unprecedented upheaval, to collectors worldwide. In doing so, he made art stars out of the likes of Neo Rauch and Matthias Weischer, for whom he once life-modelled back in the early 1980s at Leipzig’s Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst.

8.  DAADGalerie

A steadfast local institution on the city’s contemporary art scene, DAADGalerie, founded with funding from the USA’s Ford Foundation, is steeped in post-war Berlin history. Its ongoing Berliner Künstlerprogramm sees 20 artists take on an annual residence, the fruits of which are exhibited just steps from Checkpoint Charlie.

9.  Sammlung Boros

More museum than a gallery, this concrete bunker from the Second World War has been transformed into a 3,000-square-metre space containing the formidable collection of advertising mogul Christian Boros and his wife, Karen. Works on view include contemporary titans such as Olafur Eliasson and Sarah Lucas and a healthy selection of local and international names that have caught Boros’s beady eye. Tours are on weekends by appointment only. Book well in advance through the website.

10.  Schinkel Pavillon

This gallery space is in the gardens of the Kronprinzenpalais, which itself claims to be the world’s first contemporary art institution (the palace displayed work by Berlin’s expressionists from 1918 until the Nazis closed it down for showing ‘degenerate’ art). Today Schinkel Pavillon ’s octagonal pavilion with its wall-to-ceiling glass, designed to GDR specifications in 1969, happily shows all manner of installation, sculpture and performance art, cheerily degenerate or not.

11.  BQ Berlin

After partaking in Gallery Weekend for the first time in 2019, BQ quickly became the epicentre of art-world discussion. Leda Bourgogne’s ‘Skinless’, with its multimedia reflection on human skin, made a particular impression on critics, while Raphaela Vogel also presented a surrealist series titled ‘Vogelspinne’, blending sound collage, sculpture and painting. Co-run by Yvonne Quirmbach and Jörn Bötnagel, the Berlin-Mitte gallery focuses on emerging talent (and does it well). 

12.  Galerie Buchholz

A hushed repository of elegance and refinement along Charlottenburg’s Fasanenstrasse, this gallery left Cologne in 2008 after 20 years and moved to Berlin. Run jointly with Christopher Müller, it represents a raft of well-known names, including 2006 Turner Prize winner Tomma Abts, Wolfgang Tillmans and Richard Hawkins.

13.  Fluentum

Markus Hannebauer (a Berlin software entrepreneur) opened the doors to his private collection of time-based art in 2019. Housed in the former US Army headquarters on the western outskirts of Berlin, Fluentum is an idiosyncratic space, but the interplay of light and dark elements in the military building work to enrich, rather than overshadow, the works on display. For now, Fluentum operates on an appointment-only basis.

[image] [title]

Discover Time Out original video

• Press office
• Investor relations
• Work for Time Out
• Editorial guidelines
• Privacy notice
• Do not sell my information
• Cookie policy
• Accessibility statement
• Terms of use
• Modern slavery statement
• Manage cookies
• Advertising
• Time Out Market

Time Out products

• Mobile applications
• Time Out Worldwide

14 Top-Rated Museums and Art Galleries in Berlin

Written by Bryan Dearsley Updated Mar 13, 2023 We may earn a commission from affiliate links ( )

As Germany's capital and one of the leading cultural cities in Europe , Berlin boasts more museums and art galleries than one could expect to tour in a single visit to this dynamic world-class travel destination. Little surprise, then, that this vibrant city of more than 3.6 million people is home to some of the world's leading museums of antiquities and art.

One of the top things to do in Berlin is to spend time exploring the magnificent Museum Island area. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site , this beautiful corner of the city has been drawing crowds of museum and gallery goers to major attractions such as the Pergamon Museum for close to two centuries.

All told, Berlin boasts in excess of 170 museums and somewhere in the region of 300 art galleries , from large publicly owned affairs to smaller private establishments. To get the most out of your visit, be sure to check each location's website for news of monthly free admission days, late openings, as well as special events such as musical concerts and behind-the-scenes tours.

Learn more with our list of the top museums and art galleries in Berlin.

1. The Pergamon Museum

2. the humboldt forum, 3. the neues museum: home to the egyptian museum of berlin, 4. the german museum of technology, 5. the museum of decorative arts, 6. home of the old masters: the gemäldegalerie, 7. the topography of terror, 8. the new national gallery, 9. bode-museum, 10. the old national gallery, 11. jewish museum berlin, 12. brücke museum, 13. german historical museum, 14. ddr museum, map of museums and art galleries in berlin.

Berlin's most famous museum, and certainly one of its most popular, with more than a million visitors annually, the superb Pergamon Museum is the centerpiece of the city's Museum Island district. Opened in 1930 to house a collection of full-size reconstructions of ancient monumental buildings, the Pergamon is really a number of unique museums under a single roof, including the Antiquities Collection , the Middle East Museum , and the Museum of Islamic Art .

The star exhibit, of course, is the Pergamon Altar. Considered one of the wonders of the ancient world, this massive monument was dedicated to Zeus and Athena and was built in the ancient city of Pergamon in Turkey around 180 BCE.

Other important exhibits include examples of Hellenistic architecture, including the gate of the Roman market in Miletus from 165 BCE, and a restored 3rd-century BCE mosaic floor. Also of interest are examples of Neo-Babylonian architecture from the time of Nebuchadnezzar II, including the monumental Ishtar Gate, the Processional Way, and part of the façade of the Throne Room from Babylon.

The Islamic Museum's most valuable exhibit is the 8th-century façade of the desert castle of Mshatta in Jordan, while the Folk Museum displays restored furniture, textiles, pottery, and ceramics. English-language guided tours are available, as well as an on-site shop and restaurant.

A great way to ensure you get to see this museum and many others is to join a special Skip-the-Line Pergamon and New Museum tour . In addition to gaining priority access and avoiding the long line-ups to get into these two popular tourist attractions, this three-hour guided adventure includes a pass allowing admission to the remaining museums in this historic neighborhood, too.

Address: Bodestraße 1-3, 10178 Berlin

Located on Museum Island in the huge Berlin Palace , The Humboldt Forum is the new home of two of the city's most important museum collections: the Museum of Ethnography (Ethnologisches Museum), the world's largest collection of crafts and popular arts from Europe's many diverse cultures; and the Museum of Asian Art Museum (Museum für Asiatische Kunst), Germany's largest collection of non-European artifacts and treasures.

Said to rival the great British Museum in London, The Humboldt Forum has numerous displays of large portions of a massive collection of some 40,000-plus artifacts. It also houses an impressive collection of more than 60,000 historical sound recordings of music from around the world.

Also of note are numerous art pieces from China, Korea, and Japan dating from 3000 BCE to the present day, including bronzes, ceramics, paintings, and sculptures. Particular favorites are its 63 Chinese bronze mirrors dating from the 6th to 9th centuries, and the 17th-century throne of a Chinese emperor.

There are two restaurants on-site, along with a movie theater, a traditional theater for shows and performances, as well as a shop.

Address: Schloßpl. 7, 10178 Berlin

The Egyptian Museum of Berlin (Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung) is the most important part of the Neues Museum on Museum Island. It includes numerous important artifacts from Egypt's rich past, including an impressive Papyrus Collection .

Also on display are some 1,500 works of art and culture from 5000 BCE to CE 300, including a limestone head of Queen Nefertiti, wife of the Pharaoh Echnaton, from around 1350 BCE; and the Amarna family altar depicting Nefertiti and Echnaton with three of their six daughters.

Other highlights include portrait masks; a small ebony head of Queen Teje, Echnaton's mother from 1370 BCE; and the funerary slab of a royal sculptor named Bak and his wife. Also of note are works from the Fifth Dynasty from around 2400 BCE, including a portrait of an anonymous married couple.

The Neues Museum is also home to the Museum of Pre- and Early History , as well as artifacts from the Collection of Classical Antiquities . The museum building itself is something of an attraction, with its bright, airy exhibition spaces designed by leading architect David Chipperfield in 2009. English language guided tours are available.

Opened in 1983, the German Museum of Technology (Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin) hosts numerous excellent permanent displays related to the country's role as Europe's industrial powerhouse. Highlights include a fascinating look at the Industrial Revolution, along with a reconstructed workshop and equipment from the country's first factories.

The road transport exhibit contains a variety of bicycles, horse-drawn carts, motorcycles, and cars. The bigger transportation machines are found in the rail transportation segment, which includes locomotives and coaches dating back to 1843.

For a special treat, visit the museum's Transport Depot in September for a tour and a fun ride aboard the Museum Train, a 1934 engine that runs between this outpost and the main museum; this fun service operates on Sundays only, and is included with museum admission.

The museum is also noted for its aviation displays, with everything from gliders to man-powered and engine-driven aircraft, both military and civilian. English language guided tours are available, and a restaurant, shop, and picnic area are available for public use.

Address: Trebbiner Straße 9, D-10963 Berlin-Kreuzberg

Berlin's Museum of Decorative Arts (Kunstgewerbemuseum) was founded in 1868 and remains one of the city's most important, and most visited, art galleries. Highlights include displays dealing with all spheres of European applied art from the early Middle Ages to the present day.

Exhibited on four floors are ceramics, porcelain, glass, bronzes, gold enamel, and work by Byzantine goldsmiths. You'll also see rare examples of silver vessels, furniture, clocks, textiles, embroidery, decorative carpets, as well as important Baroque, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco works.

Particular mention should be made of the Guelph Treasure, a fascinating collection of objects, mainly relics, portable altars, and crucifixes, dating from the 11th and 12th centuries, which once formed part of the treasures of the Cathedral of St. Blasius in Brunswick. Also of note is the 15th-century Lüneberg municipal silver collection with Spanish and Italian ceramics from the 16th century, plus the Imperial Goblet from 1564.

A variety of English language tour options are available, and audioguides are included with the cost of admission tickets. A good cafe and a bookshop are also located on-site.

Address: Matthäikirchplatz, 10785 Berlin

The Gemäldegalerie , or "picture gallery" in English, is home to the Berlin State Museum's main collections and is highly regarded for its superb collection of European paintings from the Middle Ages to the Neo-Classical period. The nucleus of this impressive gallery was provided by the former royal collections and considerably enlarged in the 20th-century.

Highlights include its Dutch and Flemish paintings, particularly works by Rembrandt, Hieronymus Bosch, Van Dyck, and Rubens. French paintings of importance are three works by Poussin, a landscape by Claude Lorrain, and pictures by George de la Tour and the Le Nain brothers from the 17th century.

German masterpieces are represented with works by Dürer, including the Young Woman from Vienna and famous portraits by Hieronymus Bosch and Jakob Muffel. Other countries represented include Spain (El Greco and Goya), England (Gainsborough and Reynolds), and Italy (Bellini).

A variety of interesting educational programs and workshops are available, along with informative English language guided tours.

The Topography of Terror (Topographie des Terrors), one of Berlin's most thought-provoking museums, is also one of its most visited, attracting 1.5 million tourists a year.

This unique indoor/outdoor facility is built on the site of the former headquarters of the Nazi's notorious SS and Gestapo. It's also notable as the site also marks the boundary between the eastern and western zones of Berlin and contains a preserved section of the former Berlin Wall.

A sobering reminder of the terrors of both the Nazi and Soviet eras, highlights of a visit include the excavated cellar walls of the Gestapo HQ, lined by numerous covered displays regarding the site's role as a place of terror. Also of note is the new Documentation Center , focusing on the central institutions of the SS and their crimes, and the role of the regime's propaganda machine, and the Nazi Forced Labour Documentation Centre , located on the nearby site of a former camp used to house the regime's slave labor.

Free English language guided tours are available each Sunday, and private tours can also be arranged for a fee. Educational workshops are also on offer.

Address: Niederkirchnerstraße 8, 10963 Berlin

The New National Gallery (Neue Nationalgalerie) is housed in a two-part steel and glass structure built in 1968. It was completely renovated in 2018 and consists of a square hall and a pleasing terrace containing a number of sculptures by Alexander Calder and Henry Moore.

The collection consists of numerous important paintings, sculptures, and drawings of the 19th and 20th centuries including the Realists, the German school in Rome, French and German Impressionists, the Expressionists, the Bauhaus movement, and the Surrealists, as well as a good selection of American paintings. Among its most important artists are Adolph von Menzel, Edouard Manet, Auguste Renoir, Edvard Munch, and Max Ernst.

The gallery also hosts periodic special exhibitions and is regarded highly for its workshops, including programs highlighting the restoration of paintings and drawings. English language tours are available, and a restaurant and bookshop are located on-site.

Address: Potsdamer Strasse 50, 10785 Berlin

Standing at the north end of Museum Island, the attractive Bode Museum was established in 1904 as a "Sanctuary of Art and Science" and remains one of Berlin's most visited and most architecturally pleasing tourist attractions.

Under the museum's Great Dome is a bronze cast of Schlüter's statue of the Great Elector on horseback, along with four large sandstone figures in the entrance hall, also sculpted by Schlüter in 1712, while under the Little Dome are two groups by sculptor Adriaen de Vries.

Also of interest is the infamous "Flora" bust, a controversial artwork purchased by the museum in 1910 in the belief, despite strong evidence to the contrary, that it was the work of Leonardo da Vinci; it's actually considered more likely to be of 19th-century English origin.

Perhaps its most important collection, however, is the Coin Cabinet (Münzkabinett), one of the largest such collections in the world, with more than 500,000 rarities dating from every period and illustrating the development of coining techniques from antiquity to the present day. Its sculpture collection is also noteworthy and contains fine pieces from Germany, Venice, and Florence covering the Romantic to Early Classical periods.

A variety of educational programming is available, including workshops for kids and teens, and English language tunes and tours. There's also a great cafe and a bookshop on-site.

Address: Am Kupfergruben, 10117 Berlin

Originally built as a hall for receptions and ceremonial occasions in 1876, Berlin's Old National Gallery (Alte Nationalgalerie) on Museum Island resembles a Corinthian temple set on a high base and is approached by an imposing flight of steps. Its outdoor exhibits are almost as impressive as those inside and include a large bronze equestrian statue of Frederick Wilhelm IV from 1886, along with notable female figures in its gardens.

Part of Berlin's impressive National Gallery group of museums, collection highlights include examples from the Neoclassical and Romantic movements, as well as French Impressionists such as Manet and Monet. Numerous German artworks and sculptures are also featured, including von Menzel's famous The Iron Rolling Mill ( Eisenwalzwerk ) and Schadow's double statue of Prussian princesses.

English language tours are available, and there's a great bookshop on-site with many English titles related to the museum's collections.

Address: Bodestrasse 1-3, 10178 Berlin

One of the largest museums of its kind in Europe, and certainly one of the most interesting architecturally, the Jewish Museum Berlin includes numerous interesting exhibits focusing on German-Jewish history and culture over a period of some 2,000 years. Collections on display feature everything from rare documents to ceremonial objects, paintings, photos, and sculptures, as well as many rare books, scripts, and textiles.

Of particular note are its displays relating to Jewish life in medieval settlements along the Rhine, as well as the Baroque period. Particularly poignant are the displays dealing with life under the Nazis. Exhibits also deal with experiences during the post-war period.

Also of interest is the partially reconstructed New Synagogue , the splendid mid-19th-century façade of which has been rebuilt. Today the synagogue houses a memorial and museum. English language guided tours and audioguides are available.

Address: Lindenstrasse 9-14, 10969 Berlin

Located in Berlin's Grunewald district, the city's large wooded park, Brücke Museum was built in 1967 as a gallery and archive for the works of a group of Expressionist painters founded in Dresden in 1905 known as Die Brücke (The Bridge).

The initiative of Berlin artist Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, one of the founders of the group whose work is included here, the museum features numerous paintings, watercolors, drawings, and sculptures by fellow-members Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Otto Mueller, and Max Pechstein.

The museum also has works by other painters, including Otto Herbig, Max Kaus, Emil Nolde, and Emy Röder, who had stylistic or personal affinities with Die Brücke. English language tours are available on Sundays.

Address: Bussardsteig 9, 14195 Berlin

Since it opened in 1987, the German Historical Museum (Deutsches Historisches Museum) has done a great job introducing visitors to Berlin's history. It can take a few hours to explore, so be sure to allow plenty of time to wander through its fascinating exhibits.

Highlights include displays portraying war and post-war periods, including the fall of the infamous Berlin Wall. Along the way you'll also learn about the city's important role in the fields of religion, industry, and medicine, as well as displays of old armor and weaponry.

Address: Unter den Linden 2, 10117 Berlin

Focusing on the decades when East Berlin was under communist rule, the DDR Museum paints a grim picture of the lives of this part of the city's residents. Set in a Soviet-era building, highlights of a visit include seeing how spies operated, how prisoners and ordinary citizens were treated, as well as hands-on displays and interactive exhibits.

Other highlights include a tower block, an example of a prison cell, and an authentic interrogation room. A number of historic vehicles are also on display.

Address: Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 1, 10178 Berlin

More on Germany

Nationalgalerie

Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Please note the changed opening hours of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin since 16 April 2024. More

Alexandra Pirici

Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart

25.04.2024 to 06.10.2024

Caspar David Friedrich

Infinite landscapes, alte nationalgalerie.

19.04.2024 to 04.08.2024

Joseph Beuys

Works from the nationalgalerie collection.

12.04.2024 until further notice

Naama Tsabar

12.04.2024 to 22.09.2024

Focus on Schinkel

A look at his life and work, friedrichswerdersche kirche.

24.11.2023 until further notice

Extreme Tension. Art between Politics and Society

Collection of the nationalgalerie 1945 – 2000, neue nationalgalerie.

18.11.2023 to 28.09.2025

Endless Exhibition

16.06.2023 until further notice

Nationalgalerie: A Collection for the 21st Century

Forum hamburger bahnhof, gerhard richter: 100 works for berlin.

01.04.2023 to 2026

The Princesses Are Back!

A new exhibition of schadow’s princess group in the friedrichswerdersche kirche.

Permanent exhibition

Ideal and Form: 19th Century Sculpture from the Nationalgalerie Collection

Surreal worlds, sammlung scharf-gerstenberg, art of the 19th century, marianna simnett.

17.05.2024 to 03.11.2024

What happens at the Alte Nationalgalerie?

What happens at the friedrichswerdersche kirche, hamburger bahnhof, what happens at the hamburger bahnhof – nationalgalerie der gegenwart, museum berggruen, what happens at the museum berggruen, what happens at the neue nationalgalerie, what happens at the sammlung scharf-gerstenberg, museum berggruen continues its collection tour in march 2024 in venice, stories from the nationalgalerie collection (german only), online offers, films, podcasts, virtual tours and more.

About Cookies

This website uses cookies. Those have two functions: On the one hand they are providing basic functionality for this website. On the other hand they allow us to improve our content for you by saving and analyzing anonymized user data. You can redraw your consent to using these cookies at any time. Find more information regarding cookies on our Data Protection Declaration and regarding us on the Imprint .

• An Art Lovers Guide To...

An Art Lover's Guide to Berlin in 24 Hours

Art lovers are spoilt for choice when it comes to creating an itinerary in Berlin. Deemed the cultural capital of Europe, the city hosts some of the most significant works of art from across the continent, spread over its museums and galleries. If you’re wondering how to make the most of your short time in the capital, here are our recommendations of where to start and end your art tour in Berlin.

Must-visit museums.

The Pergamon Museum

Considered one of the most beautiful museums in Berlin and a favourite with visitors, The Pergamon houses an incredible collection of ancient Greek and Roman art. There is also a fascinating collection of Babylonian and Persian antiquities and other treasures from the ancient world displayed over two floors. The Museum of Islamic Art upstairs is also full of beautiful pieces of art hailing from the eastern world. This museum forms part of Berlin’s famed Museum Island, and the building, designed by Alfred Messel and Ludwig Hoffmann, was built over a period of 20 years, from 1910 to 1930.

Tip: This is Berlin’s most frequented museums, so to avoid long waits we recommend buying a time slot ticket online . The museum has also been undergoing staggered renovations since 2013, and the hall where the Pergamon Altar stands will be closed to the public until 2019. However, the south wing containing the Market Gate of Miletus, the Ishtar Gate and Processional Way from Babylon is unaffected.

Bodestrasse 1-3, Berlin, Germany , +49 30 20905577

Gemäldegalerie Art lovers will be delighted to step into Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie (Picture Gallery), which is home to some of Europe’s 18th century masterpieces and remains an important artistic and cultural institution. The building itself is modern, while the pieces inside date from between the 13th-18th-century and include great names of classic works by Rubens, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Christus and Caravaggio.

Tip: Works by Rembrandt can be viewed in gallery ten along with Raphael’s Madonnas. If you’re planning a long weekend trip, be aware that the museum is closed on Mondays.

Matthäikirchplatz, Berlin, Germany , +49 30 266424242

Alte Nationalgalerie

The Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery) opened in 1876, making it one of the oldest collections in Europe. It houses pieces through the eras of Romantic, Impressionist and early Modernist art, including works by the great German painter, Menzel. Set in an elegant building, the museum was the first in the world to purchase Impressionist art when it acquired Manet’s In the Conservatory and Monet’s View of Vétheuil in 1896. Also make sure to look out for Caspar David Friedrich’s dreamy masterpiece, The Monk by the Sea.

Tip: The museum is rather large and you will need some time to see it through, with art from the 19th century only beginning on the third floor. Again, if you’re planning a long weekend, be mindful that the museum is closed on Mondays.

Bodestrasse 1-3, Berlin, Germany , +49 30 266424242

After taking in the visual feast of the art museums, you will need to refuel and refresh with some delicious lunch before heading out to uncover more art. Try the Asian fusion restaurant, Art Café Jadore in Mitte and a short walking distance from Museum Island. This artsy bistro serves high quality lunch and there are paintings hanging on the walls, along with an interesting light feature on the ceiling. Blocks and Ham is another great coffee shop to try out and also has its own little gallery. The cannelloni makes mouths water, and you can finish your meal with a yummy dessert and a strong black coffee set in a cosy and cute environment, or enjoyed on the terrace on warm days.

Art Café Jadore, Chauseestrasse 56, Berlin, Germany

Blocks and Ham, Bürknerstraße 12, Berlin, Germany , +49 30 26323349

Must-visit galleries

KW Institute for Contemporary Art

Different from most international contemporary art institutions, KW doesn’t keep a permanent collection of art, but rather identifies itself as a space that produces and presents relevant modern art as it appears. Art lovers can enjoy this gallery in Mitte for its large exhibition rooms, its avantgarde showcases and the forward-thinking policies it presents when dealing with the art world and which, ultimately, sets it apart.

Tip: Stop by on Thursday evenings between 6-9pm for free admission. The gallery is closed on Tuesdays.

Auguststrasse 69, Berlin, Germany , +49 30 2434590

The Berlinische Galerie

Located in Kreuzberg, the Berlinische Galerie is a tribute to modern art, photography and architecture in Berlin. The museum is renowned for its thoughtful curation and strong focus on local artists. The permanent exhibitions of Berlin’s art revolutions are found upstairs, while rotating collections can be viewed downstairs.

Tip: Look out for the wonderful outdoor installation of carved astronauts hiding in a bush on the pavement outside the museum. Stop by the little café for a slice of yummy cake after your visit.

Alte Jakobstrasse 124-128, Berlin, Germany , +49 30 78902600

Take a street art tour

Street art forms a large part of the Berlin aesthetic and has deep roots in the culture counter and political movements of the city. To better understand this, as well as to be shown some of the most famous murals of the city and the stories behind them, opt for a guided street art tour given by a graffiti artist.

Tip: You could head to the East Side Gallery to see the famous murals that now form an open-air gallery where a part of the Wall use to stand, but it’s still best to learn the secrets from those in the know – the walls are constantly changing and you might even catch an artist writing in the act.

Where to unwind

Located in Görlitzer Park, Das Edelweiss is an all-day café serving mostly German cuisine, and has a large garden and terrace to sit and enjoy the long summer nights. After taking Berlin’s art scene for the last two days, enjoy a nice meal sit back and relax while enjoying the jazz jam sessions and DJs spinning in the garden.

Görlitzer Strasse 1-3, Berlin, Germany , +49 30 69508443

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.

Places to Stay

The best hotels to book in garmisch for every traveller.

See & Do

Craft and culture in the lesser-known gems of eastern germany.

Stay Curious: Experience Germany From Your Living Room

10 Reasons Why You Should Visit Bavaria

A Voyage Through Germany: the Lowdown on River Cruising

The Best Spa Hotels in Baden-Baden

Guides & Tips

Top tips for travelling in germany.

The Best Hotels in Germany for Every Traveller

Architecture

Breathtakingly beautiful buildings in germany.

The Story Behind Germany's Neuschwanstein Castle

Places in Germany for History Lovers

The Best Hotels to Book in Thuringia, Germany

Culture trip spring sale, save up to $1,100 on our unique small-group trips limited spots..

• Post ID: 1339672
• Sponsored? No
• View Payload

12 of the best art galleries and museums in Berlin

Berlin is world-renowned for its art scene. Here’s a look at 12 of the best galleries and museums worth checking out when you’re in town.

In recent years,  Berlin has become a hub for young creatives, garnering a reputation as one of the world’s leading and most influential cities for art and design. Though the days of Weimar Republic and the Bauhaus movement have passed, Berlin remains at the forefront of contemporary culture. In no particular order, here are some of the most influential–as well as some of the best–art and culture venues Berlin has to offer.

Most influential Art Spaces

Here are some of Berlin’s most talked about art spaces, all of which have been catalysts for various discussions.

1. Jewish Museum Berlin

I visited this iconic museum the first time I traveled to Berlin, and I return here every time I have a visitor in town as it is at the top of my list of recommendations. This landmark narrates some of the country’s darkest history through both Daniel Libeskind’s specific architecture and the thoughtfully curated art installations on display. In addition to the permanent collection, the museum showcases temporary exhibits focused on relevant contemporary topics. (Address: Lindenstraße 9-14, website )

2. Bauhaus Archiv

The Bauhaus movement still resonates in Berlin’s present-day aesthetics. Walter Gropius, a pioneer of Modernist architecture, founded the collection with the support of many peers and colleagues. The collection comprises works in progress as well as finished pieces of almost anything and everything regarding Bauhaus architecture, all displayed in chronological order to show how movement progressed. (Klingelhöferstraße 14, website )

3. Hamburger BHF

The building’s architectural history and its consistent quality shows make Hamburger BHF a must see! The Neoclassical building dates back to 1846, and was once a train station that set a precedent for the era’s subsequent train stations. Set in the only remaining train station from that era, this contemporary art museum is part of Berlin’s National Gallery. (Invalidenstraße 50-51, website )

4. Museum for Photography / Helmut Newton Foundation,

The museum’s permanent exhibition houses a large, varied archive of work from Berlin born fashion photographers. The exhibits tend to highlight Newton or anything fashion-related, so needless to say, this museum is a must see for fashion photography enthusiasts! (Jebensstraße 2, website )

5. Julia Stoschek Collection

The Julia Stoschek Collection opened in summer 2016 inside a communist building that was once East Germany’s Czech cultural center. The focal point here is moving image and time-based art from the 1960s to the present. (Leipziger Str. 60, website )

6. KW Institute for Contemporary Art

Although it’s one of Berlin’s largest art institutions, the self-described “highly flexible” KW Institute doesn’t keep a permanent collection. Instead, the venue features a diverse array of programs to address its audience in different ways. KW also takes the lead on the Berlin Biennale as both institutions share a founding director. (Auguststraße 69, website )

7. König Gallery

Located inside what was once St. Agnes church, König Gallery is perfect for a sunny summer day. Take a seat in the adorable little sculpture garden located between the exhibition halls. König is also one of Germany’s most influential galleries with its artwork having been placed in major institutions like MoMA  and the Guggenheim. (Alexandrinenstraße 118, website )

8. Me Collectors Room

Situated   on Auguststrasse, Me Collectors Room is practically next door to the KW institute, Me prides itself on making contemporary art accessible for anyone who is interested in it by showcasing quality, carefully curated exhibitions. The easygoing atmosphere is further enhanced by a cafe located right in the middle of the venue. (Auguststraße 68. website )

By hidden spaces, I don’t mean that the following art venues are some sort of “secret” as they are just as influential (in some cases even more relevant) than the previously mentioned locales. I refer to them as hidden simply because anyone visiting them for the first time might get discouraged and think they have arrived at the wrong place.

1. Sammlung Boros

I mentioned this bunker-turned-art-gallery in my first Berlin article, and I had to mention it again because there is no other art space quite like it. I have categorized it as a hidden space for the simple reason that you need to book an appointment to visit the collection as far in advance as possible. I recommend booking this as soon as you have booked your flights. (Reinhardtstraße 20,  website )

Located in Berlin’s main gallery district, KOW made quite an impression during Gallery Weekend with Candice Breitz, Love Story, 2016 , which spanned the gallery’s three narrow levels. One of the timeliest exhibitions I have seen,  Love Story features actors Alec Baldwin and Julianne Moore in a seamless narration of several sharp refugee stories. To access the gallery, you need to go through the backyard and climb staircase to the second floor, where you’ll find the entrance.  (Brunnenstraße 9, website )

3. Esther Shipper/ Blain Southern

These two galleries are located outside of the standard gallery district. Smaller than most of my other recommendations, these German and British galleries have hosted some of my favorite exhibitions since I’ve moved here! (Potsdamer Straße 81e, website ; Potsdamer Straße 77-87, website )

4. Gallerie Neu

The first time I visited this gallery, I was hesitant to enter, as I had to ring the doorbell and wait to be buzzed into the building. I thought I would be entering a residential area however once I stepped into the courtyard, it became clear that this is in fact an art space…and one of the most playful at that (Linienstraße 119, website )

I have not even covered half of the art spaces this creative city has to offer, however these are a good starting point! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

You May Also Like

Celebrating ramadan in dubai, 5 theaters around the world where puccini’s madame butterfly was performed, 12 international film festivals across the globe, 6 unmissable national geographic art and culture tours, leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Challenge me
• Enlighten me
• Take me away
• Uncategorized @us
• Wine and dine me
• Afternoon Tea
• Aix-en-Provence
• Alessandria
• Alnwick Castle
• Amalfi Coast
• Amazon Rainforest
• Adele Barnau
• Alessandro Santoro
• Alex Skinner
• Alyssa Fowler
• Amanda Coletta
• Ana Olivia Fiol
• Andrea Barragan
• Angelo Tarallo
• Anna Boshdemont
• Annalice Furfari
• Arianna Serra
• Bryan Shelmon

THE 10 BEST Berlin Art Museums

Art museums in berlin.

• Specialty Museums
• Art Galleries
• Art Museums
• History Museums
• Science Museums
• Children's Museums
• Military Museums
• Natural History Museums
• Observatories & Planetariums
• 5.0 of 5 bubbles
• 4.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• Mitte (Borough)
• Museum Island
• Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf (Borough)
• Good for a Rainy Day
• Budget-friendly
• Good for Couples
• Hidden Gems
• Good for Big Groups
• Good for Kids
• Adventurous
• Honeymoon spot
• Good for Adrenaline Seekers
• Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.

1. Pergamonmuseum

2. Neues Museum

3. Gemaldegalerie

4. Museumsdienst Berlin

5. Alte Nationalgalerie

6. Urban Nation

7. Bode Museum

8. Museum Berggruen

9. Sammlung Boros

10. Berlinische Galerie

11. Käthe Kollwitz Museum

12. Helmut Newton Foundation

13. Neue Nationalgalerie

14. Gropius Bau

15. Altes Museum

16. P61 Gallery

17. Dark Matter Berlin

18. Liebermann-Villa am Wannsee

19. Hamburger Museum

20. Kunstgewerbemuseum

21. Brücke Museum

22. Ancient Worlds - Greeks, Etruscans and Romans

23. C/O Berlin

24. Museum der Dinge (Museum of Things)

25. Collection Scharf-Gerstenberg

26. Sammlung Hoffman

27. Daimler Contemporary

28. Studio Of Wonders

29. KW Institute for Contemporary Art

30. Contemporary Fine Arts

What travelers are saying

• Pergamonmuseum
• Neues Museum
• Gemaldegalerie
• Museumsdienst Berlin
• Urban Nation
• Museum Berggruen
• Alte Nationalgalerie
• Käthe Kollwitz Museum
• Kunstgewerbemuseum
• Museum der Dinge (Museum of Things)

Open today 10 am – 6 pm

Berlinische Galerie Alte Jakobstraße 124 – 128 10969 Berlin, Germany

[email protected] Tel +49 (0)30-789 02-600

Opening times

Wed – Mon 10 am – 6 pm

Closed on Tuesdays Also closed on 24.12. and 31.12.

Day ticket 10 € Reduced ticket 6 €

Free admission for under 18s Free admission for refugees  

Free admission for Friends of the Museum

Become a friend

Ticket cooperation

The same offer applies in reverse. Upon presenting a ticket from the  Jewish Museum Berlin , we will grant you an admission discount. The same offer applies in reverse to temporary exhibitions at the Jewish Museum. Its permanent exhibition can be visited free of charge.

Kader Attia

Hans uhlmann, tekla aslanishvili.

• Kotti-Shop SuperFuture

Closer to Nature

Embracing modernism, art in berlin, video art online, our exhibitions.

[Translate to English:]

until 19.8.24

Ewald Gnilka, untitled (Hans Uhlmann in his studio), um 1954

Experimental Forming

until 13.5.24

Tekla Aslanishvili, Scenes from Trial and Error, 2020 (Still)

in the IBB Video Space

until 17.6.24

Kotti-Shop / SuperFuture, Collage

Kotti-Shop/ SuperFuture

Forms of Negotiation

Building with Fungi, Trees, Mud

until 14.10.24

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Nollendorfplatz, Berlin, 1912

Big names from the Stadtmuseum Berlin

Fred Thieler, Tales for W. Turner, 1962

1880 – 1980 Permanent Exhibition

© Pascal Rohé

Space for action and collaboration

Akinbode Akinbiyi

Being, Seeing, Wandering Hannah-Höch-Preis 2024

Özlem Altın

Pisma Hannah Höch Förderpreis 2024

Mariechen Danz

GASAG Art Prize 2024

Rineke Dijkstra

Nguyễn trinh thi.

Plants in contemporary photography

Edvard Munch

Magic of the North

Let Them Eat Cake

Simon(e) Jaikiriuma Paetau

with Natalia Escobar Nadia Granados and Carlos Motta in the IBB Video Space

Suddenly Wonderful

Visions for chunky 1970’s architecture in West Berlin

Böhler & Orendt

The Sweet Certainty

Julius von Bismarck

When Platitudes Become Form

Pınar Öğrenci

In the IBB Video Space

Paint it all!

Recent painting from Berlin

Cemile Sahin

Magyar modern.

Hungarian Art in Berlin 1910–1933

Class Issues

Art Production In and Out of Precarity

Creamcake presents short film programme "Deep Thought" at Berlinische Galerie

Tabea Blumenschein Ulrike Ottinger

Pallavi Paul

Sibylle bergemann.

Town and Country and Dogs Photographs 1966–2010

Conrad Felixmüller

Works from the Wilke Collection­ in our Permanent Exhibition

Nina Canell

Tectonic Tender

Pilvi Takala

Ginan seidl, images in fashion–clothing in art.

Photography, Fine Arts, and Fashion since 1900

Ruth Hildegard Geyer-Raack

In the permanent exhibition

Alicja Kwade

In Abwesenheit (In Absence)

Johanna Bruckner

Katharina voß janin afken, mario rizzi, louise stomps.

Figuring Nature Sculptures 1928 – 1988

Ferdinand Hodler

and Modernist Berlin

Selected Works on Paper since 1960s in the permanent exhibition

Christian Niccoli

Monira al qadiri, 3hd 2021 power play.

Creamcake presents short films at the Berlinische Galerie

In the IBB-Video Space

The Blow-Up Regime GASAG Art Prize 2020

Anything Goes?

Berlin Architecture in the 1980s

Provenances

Wayfaring Art

Look at Me!

Women's Portraits from the 1920s In the permanent exhibition

Robert Petschow

and the New Vision

Drawing the City

Paper-Based Works from 1945 to the Present

Queer Desire and Revolt

XPOSED Short Films Online

Mariana Caló & Francisco Queimadela

Soul Pictures – Soul Spaces

Bárbara Wagner & Benjamin de Burca

Visual agitation.

KP Brehmer in the permanent exhibition

Barbara Marcel

Bettina pousttchi.

In Recent Years

Mario Pfeifer

Umbo photographer.

Works 1926 – 1956

Yael Bartana

Gernot wieland, beate gütschow.

"LS" and "S"

Yalda Afsah

Original bauhaus.

The centenary exhibition

realities: united

Lotte laserstein.

Face to Face

André Kirchner

Berlin: The City's Edge 1993/94

Faces of the 1920s

From the Berlinische Galerie’s collection

Underground Architecture

Berlin Metro Stations 1953 – 1994

The IBB-Video Space at Berlinische Galerie

The art of the Novembergruppe 1918 – 1935

Eduardo Paolozzi

 Lots of Pictures – Lots of Fun

Raphaela Vogel

Son of a Witch

Julian Charrière

As We Used to Float GASAG Art prize 2018

Loredana Nemes

Greed Fear Love Photographs 2008 – 2018

Carsten Nicolai

Cyrill lachauer.

What Do You Want Here

Jeanne Mammen

The Observer Retrospective 1910-1975

Monica Bonvicini

3612,54 m³ vs 0,05 m³

Faraway Focus

Photographers go travelling (1880 – 2015)

Christine Streuli

Fred-Thieler-Preis 2017

In the Moloch of the Presence of Being

Cornelia Schleime

A Blink of An Eye Hannah-Höch-Preis 2016

Tatjana Doll

New World Atlas Hannah-Höch-Förderpreis 2016

Andreas Greiner

Agentur des Exponenten GASAG Art Prize 2016

Dada Africa

Dialogue with the Other

Modern Visionaries

Paul Scheerbart, Bruno Taut, Paul Goesch

Heidi Specker

Photographs 2005/2015

Max Beckmann Beckmann and Berlin  

Portrait photography 1996 – 2013

Brandlhuber+ Hertweck, Mayfried

The Dialogic City : Berlin wird Berlin

Ich kenne kein Weekend

The Archive and Collection of René Block

Radically Modern

Urban Planning and Architecture in 1960s Berlin

Bernhard Martin

Fred-Thieler-Preis 2015

Björn Dahlem

Mare Lunaris

Ignacio Uriarte

Counting (for) Eight Hours

GASAG Kunstpreis 2014

Markus Draper

From the Collection

Dorothy Iannone

This Sweetness Outside of Time Gemälde, Objekte, Bücher 1959–2014

Vienna Berlin

The Art of Two Cities From Schiele to Grosz

Franz Ackermann

Hügel und Zweifel

Art in Berlin 1945 until now

Presentation of the collection

Tobias Zielony

Jenny Jenny

Henning Bohl

Works from the Collection of Berlinische Galerie

Ari Benjamin Meyers

Chamber Music (Vestibule)

 KP Brehmer

From the Collection: Diagrammatic and cartographic works

Katja Strunz

Drehmoment (Viel Zeit, wenig Raum) Vattenfall Contemporary 2013

Sergej Jensen

Fred Thieler-Prize 2013

The New Berlin

International designs for public buildings and embassies since 1990

 K. H. Hödicke

Painting, Sculpture, Film

Art in Berlin 1933 – 1938

Berated, Banned and Burned Contribution to the Berlin Thematic Year: Diversity Destroyed

The IBB Video Space at Berlinische Galerie

Tue Greenfort

GASAG Art Prize 2012

The Shuttered Society

Art Photography in the GDR 1949 – 1989

The Destroyed City Was My Chance

From the Collection: Hilde Weström on her 100th birthday

Alfredo Jaar

The way it is. An Aesthetics of Resistance

 Manifesto Collage

 Die About Change, Collection zu Gast in der Berlinischen Galerie

Michael Sailstorfer

Forst Vattenfall Contemporary 2012

Streets and Faces 1918 – 1933

Boris mikhailov.

Time is out of joint. Photography 1966–2011

Woman Photographer 1910 – 2003 Budapest – Berlin – Amsterdam The Berlinische Galerie plays host to Das Verborgene Museum

Friedrich Seidenstücker

Photographs 1925–1958

J. Mayer H.

RAPPORT. Experiments with Spatial Structure

 Art in Berlin 1880 – 1980

Presentation of the Collection

Lajos ´ Kassák

Ambassador of the Avant-Garde 1915–1927

Simon Fujiwara

Phallusies (An Arabian Mystery), 2010

Rainer Fetting

Angela bulloch.

Vattenfall Contemporary 2011 Information, Manifesto, Rules and other leaks...

Bernard Frize

Fred Thieler Awards For Painting 2011

The IBB-Video Space

Berlin Work. Photographs 1984–2009

Susanne Kriemann

GASAG Art Prize 2010

Arno Fischer

Photographs 1953–2006. Hannah-Höch-Award 2010

Emil Otto Hoppé

PEOPLE, THINGS, HUMAN WORKS. Photographs 1925–1929

Marianne Breslauer

Moments Unnoticed. Photographs 1927–1936

Spotlight Collection

Julian Rosefeldt

Living in Oblivion Vattenfall Contemporary 2010

Berlin Transfer

Young art from the Berlinische Galerie and GASAG

Max Wechsler and Herbert Kaufmann

Dieter goltzsche.

Work on Paper 2000 – 2009

Berlin 89/09

Art Between Traces of the Past and Utopian Futures

Gregor Hildebrandt

The Sky in a Room

John Heartfield

Photomontages 1918 – 1938

Klaus Staeck

Nice Prospects

Fred Thieler Award for Painting 2009

Erwin Blumenfeld

DADA Montages

As Time goes by

Artworks concerning Time

As far as no Eye can see

Panoramic Photographs of Berlin, 1949 – 1952

Hans Robertson

The Berlin Years 1926 – 1933

Mutations II

Moving Stills

3rd European Month of Photography

Marcellvs L., Amir Fattal, Jay Chung & Q Takeki Maeda

GASAG Art Prize 2008

Photographic studio and salon in Berlin, 1918 – 1932

Ronald de Bloeme

Gazes and desire.

The photographer Herbert Tobias (1924 – 1982)

Concrete Concepts

Emilio vedova.

1919 – 2006

Neue Heimat

Berlin Contemporary

Grafic Art in the Spotlight

From the collection Berlinische Galerie

magma architecture

 jetzt|now 11

Gerwald Rockenschaub

New Season Beauty Fred Thieler Preis für Malerei 2007

New Acquistions

Acquisitions from the last two years

Carl-Heinz Kliemann

Woodcuts 1947 – 2006

Hannah Höch

All Beginning is DADA!

The Privat Collection Piepenbrock

Bernhard Leitner

Free admission for under 18s Free admission for refugees                                                                                                                      

Museum Sunday: Every first Sunday free admission for all visitors!

Partner Ticketing with Jewish Museum Berlin. If you can show a ticket from Berlin’s Jewish Museum, you are entitled to our reduced rate. The same also applies in reverse.

• with limited mobility
• with limited mobility (P)
• with limited mobility (WC)

Berlinische Galerie Landesmuseum für Moderne Kunst, Fotografie und Architektur Stiftung Öffentlichen Rechts

Alte Jakobstraße 124 – 128 10969 Berlin, Germany

[email protected] Tel +49 (0)30-789 02-600 Fax +49 (0)30-789 02-700

This store requires javascript to be enabled for some features to work correctly.

Free shipping. Pay up to 12 installments

Criar conta | Entrar

• Leilão a decorrer
• Photography
• Create an account

10 art galleries to visit in Berlin

Berlin, Germany's vibrant capital, is an internationally renowned cultural and artistic epicenter. In the historic and contemporary streets of the city, an artistic effervescence flourishes, reflecting its diversity, innovation and avant-garde spirit. Among the many elements that make up this creative landscape, art galleries play a key role in providing a stage for local and global artists to share their visions, challenges and reflections. This article sheds light on 10 notable galleries in Berlin, each with its own distinctive identity and unique curatorial approach. From established spaces to emerging venues, each gallery examined here not only showcases art, but also shapes cultural conversations, sets trends and nurtures the constant evolution of the city's art scene. Each paragraph will guide you through a unique artistic universe, demonstrating how these venues have become essential pillars in the city's cultural landscape, shaping the present and future of art in Berlin.

KW Institute for Contemporary Art

One of Berlin's leading contemporary art institutions, the KW presents innovative exhibitions by international and emerging artists. O KW Institute for Contemporary Art  aims to address the central issues of our time through the production, exhibition and dissemination of contemporary art. Since its founding more than 30 years ago, KW has established itself not only as an institution, but also as a dynamic and vibrant space for progressive practices within Berlin's art scene, as well as in the international context.

Galerie Eigen + Art

With a solid reputation, this gallery showcases a variety of techniques, from paintings to contemporary installations. A Galerie Eigen + Art  represents more than 37 international artists working in painting, film and video, photography, installation and sculpture, as well as in the field of Conceptual and Performance Art. An important interest of the gallery is to follow the artists' careers from the beginning, on an ongoing and long-term basis. Gerd Harry Lybke founded Galerie EIGEN + ART on April 10, 1983 at Körnerplatz 8 in Leipzig, in the former East Germany. In the early years, it was an illegal meeting place where exhibitions, Happenings and Performances were held; but the gallery quickly became a well-known address for an ambitious exhibition program, already with the participation of artists who are still present in the program, such as Carsten Nicolai, Neo Rauch and Olaf Nicolai. Today, EIGEN + ART is the only gallery from the former East Germany that operates internationally.

Sprüth Magers

A Sprüth Magers  expanded its roots in Cologne, Germany to become an international gallery dedicated to showcasing the very best in innovative modern and contemporary art. With galleries located in Berlin Mitte, Mayfair, London, the Miracle Mile in Los Angeles and Manhattan, New York - as well as offices in Cologne, Hong Kong and Seoul - Sprüth Magers maintains close ties with the studios and communities of international artists. who form the core of your team. The gallery emerged amidst an extraordinary surge in contemporary art that took place in Cologne in the early 1980s. Its first iteration as the Monika Sprüth Gallery opened in 1983 with an exhibition of paintings by Andreas Schulze and was soon followed by exhibitions by Rosemarie Trockel and Peter Fischli David Weiss. Over the next few years George Condo, Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger, Louise Lawler and Cindy Sherman all showed in the gallery and have continued to do so for the last thirty years. In 1991, a second gallery opened in Cologne under the name Philomene Magers. Early exhibitions included Ad Reinhardt's Black Paintings, Robert Morris' felt pieces and John Baldessari's 1960s photographs and text paintings from the 1960s. The two galleries merged into a single entity in 1998, and in 2000, a space in Munich opened with Ed Ruscha's Gunpowder and Stains exhibit.

Crone Gallery

A Crone Gallery  was founded in 1982 by Ascan Crone and Mechthild von Dannenberg in Hamburg. In the nearly 40 years of its existence, the gallery has been an essential part and driving force of the international art market. Crone has a gallery and design space, both in Vienna and Berlin. Thus, it has four locations in which it presents a total of 24 individual and collective exhibitions per year. Crone's programmatic focus is contemporary art that addresses social realities and political challenges with an aesthetic conscience. The gallery represents artists from multiple generations, backgrounds, cultural backgrounds and sexual orientations, united by the desire for an open, tolerant and enlightened society and culture. His work spans the full range of artistic practices and approaches, from painting and sculpture to installation and time-based art. Over the past five years, artists represented by Crone have participated in Documenta, the Venice Biennale, the Lyon Biennale, the Sharjah Biennale and the Curitiba Biennale.

Buchmann Galerie

The Buchmann Galerie represents 20 contemporary artists, mostly painters and sculptors. Founded in Switzerland in 1975, the gallery opened in Germany in 1995, since 2005, two adjacent exhibition spaces in Berlin allow the gallery to hold two parallel shows or a comprehensive exhibition. The Buchmann Galerie in Switzerland is located in the center of Lugano. The gallery has worked with most of its artists since the beginning of their careers: with Tony Cragg and Wolfgang Laib since the early 1980s; with Tatsuo Miyajima and Lawrence Carroll since the mid-1990s; and with Bettina Pousttchi, Fiona Rae and Clare Woods from the early to mid-2000s. A new artist to the gallery is Jason Martin. André Buchmann has been a member of the board of the Cragg Foundation since 2008. In that capacity, he organized and played an advisory role for exhibitions by artists such as William Tucker and John Chamberlain and was responsible for the exhibition series "Three Artists - A Window" with Daniel Buren, Tatsuo Miyajima and Bettina Pousttchi in 2022. The gallery's artists have been included in exhibitions in institutional spaces internationally and have received important awards such as the Turner Prize or the Praemium Imperiale - an award given to three Buchmann Galerie artists: Daniel Buren, Tony Cragg and Wolfgang Laib. Recent highlights of Buchmann Galerie exhibitions include the first gallery exhibition in Germany by Jason Martin and Nigel Cooke, and Tony Cragg's 25th exhibition with the gallery in 2021, demonstrating the gallery's longstanding relationship with this artist. Buchmann Galerie is the main representative of all the artists mentioned above.

Neugerriemschneider

Neugerriemschneider  was established by Tim Neuger and Burkhard Riemschneider in 1994 in Berlin and was inaugurated with an exhibition by Jorge Pardo. In its first two years, the gallery hosted some of the first solo exhibitions by the then little-known artists Olafur Eliasson, Sharon Lockhart, Michel Majerus, Tobias Rehberger, Elizabeth Peyton, Rirkrit Tiravanija and Pardo, who are still part of the program today. Expanding steadily over the past three decades, today the neugerriemschneider also features Ai Weiwei, Pawel Althamer, Thomas Bayrle, James Benning, Billy Childish, Keith Edmier, Cevdet Erek, Andreas Eriksson, Noa Eshkol, Mario García Torres, Isa Genzken, Shilpa Gupta, Thilo Heinzmann, Renata Lucas, Antje Majewski, Mike Nelson, Tomás Saraceno, Simon Starling, Thaddeus Strode and Pae White as part of its program.

Galerie Barbara Weiss

Galerie Barbara Weiss was founded in 1992 by Barbara Weiss, with a location on Potsdamer Straße. The gallery quickly established itself with an intellectually challenging and curatorially progressive approach. Equally sensitive to artistic developments and political issues, the gallery has, since its inception, been distinguished by an enduring concern with conceptually informed and feminist positions. In 2011, Galerie Barbara Weiss moved to its current location in Berlin-Kreuzberg. In keeping with its multifaceted and conceptual approach, in recent years the gallery has featured solo exhibitions by internationally acclaimed artists including Monika Baer, Maria Eichhorn, Ayse Erkmen, John Miller, Rebecca Morris and Mai-Thu Perret. Today, the gallery is run by Bärbel Trautwein and Daniel Herleth, positions they have held since 2014. When Barbara Weiss passed away in 2016, Bärbel Trautwein and Daniel Herleth continued the work of the gallery, a continuity that arose from joint efforts made in previous years. Under the new ownership, a number of artists have joined the programme: Amelie von Wulffen, pioneering eco artist Peter Fend and Puppies Puppies, adding one of the most innovative emerging artists and further deepening the gallery's distinctive commitment to political engagement and feminist practices in the field. aesthetic.

KÖNIG GALLERY

A KÖNIG GALLERY  was founded by Johann König in Berlin in 2002 and is managed by Lena and Johann König. The gallery currently represents the work of over 40 emerging and established artists from around the world, many of whom belong to a younger generation. The focus of the program is on interdisciplinary, concept-driven and space-based approaches, encompassing diverse techniques including sculpture, video, sound, painting, printmaking, photography and performance. In May 2015, KÖNIG GALERIE moved to St. Agnes, a monumental Brutalist church built in the 1960s, where exhibitions take place in two different spaces: the old chapel and the nave. In April 2021, the KÖNIG SEOUL gallery branch opened in the South Korean capital. The gallery has successfully placed works in several private and public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Guggenheim Foundation. The artists represented by the gallery have been the subject of solo exhibitions at institutions around the world and frequently participate in prestigious group exhibitions such as Documenta and the biennials of Venice, Berlin, New York and others.

Esther Schipper

Specialized in contemporary art and representing more than 48 artists and collections, the Esther Schipper  it has locations in Berlin, Paris and Seoul. The gallery is committed to presenting innovative exhibitions by leading international artists. Primarily active in the primary market, the gallery represents its artists at all major international art fairs. Throughout its more than three decades of exhibition practice, Esther Schipper has provided a platform for artists to present projects that mark new territories, initiate important conceptual departures and bring to light new sets of works. Building on an early pioneering program, the gallery specializes in fostering institutional support and finding markets for radically experimental and time-based works. Today, Esther Schipper represents multi-generational international artists working in all techniques, with a program that spans from established artists to newfound talent.

Galerie Barbara Wien

The gallery was founded in 1988 by Barbara Wien in Berlin. From the beginning, the gallery's program was shaped by an interest in the revolutionary artistic concepts of the 1960s and their subsequent development. Following close collaboration with Dieter Roth and Tomas Schmit, the gallery has established a diverse range of exhibitions, with accompanying publications, by artists such as Arthur Köpcke, Robert Filliou, Emmett Williams, Hans-Peter Feldmann and many others from the European conceptual art movement. Barbara Wien represents internationally successful artists from different generations, such as Georges Adégabo, Eric Baudelaire, Nina Canell, Mariana Castillo Deball, Jimmie Durham, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Ester Fleckner, Luca Frei, Ian Kiaer, Kim Yong-Ik, Daniel Lie, Dave McKenzie, Elisabeth Neudörfl, Peter Piller, Vaclav Pozarek, Walter Price, Michael Rakowitz, Dieter Roth, Tomas Schmit, Shimabuku, Ingrid Wiener and Haegue Yang.

← Older post Newer post →

Get in touch

• Middle East
• Ask a Local
• Get Featured

Contemporary art galleries in Berlin you need to visit

Berlin is more than just a city; it’s a state of mind. 

When you visit Berlin for the first time, you either love it or hate it. There is no in-between, cause the city is so peculiar that you have to take one side. If you love it, you will come back times and times again. If you hate it, it’ll take you some time to come back. But rest assured that you will eventually love Berlin too! 

 That is what pretty much happened to me. The first time I visited Berlin, I was in my teens, and despite having some positive memories of the city, like my first solo visit to Hamburger Banhof , I did not fall irremediably in love with it. But let’s fast forward to my 30th birthday, when one of my best friends, and fellow art lover, gifted me a wonderful weekend in the German city to discover the best contemporary art had to offer. 

And boy, it was spectacular! 

So, now that I am lounging by the Tuscan coast, roasting in the heat and longing for some chill weather, I decided to dive a little deeper into the Berlin contemporary art scene and bring you the top 4 galleries to visit on your next trip. 

König Galerie

Quintessentially Berlin, König Galerie is located in Kreuzberg. It occupies the Brutalist concrete St. Agnes church, which was turned into a gigantic exhibition space. Founded by Johann König in 2002, the gallery currently has three additional locations, in London, Seoul, and Monaco. 

It represents 40 international emerging and established artists, mostly belonging to a younger generation. Here you can find artists such as Alicja Kwade, Claudia Comte, Elmgreen & Dragset, Chiharu Shiota, Jose Dávila, or Koo Jeong A., among others.

The program’s focus is on interdisciplinary, concept-oriented and space-based approaches in a variety of media, including sculpture, video, sound, painting, printmaking, photography, and performance.

Together with the amazing exhibition and location, they also have a rich program of online events, a podcast series , a magazine , and they host an art fair in August, MISA – MESSE IN ST. AGNES. Plus they sell, both in the gallery and online, the weirdest and cutest souvenirs you can ever gift to an art lover, like the “Art Handling Set”, a real set to hang your next purchase, with nails, gloves, and some cute instructions. 

The tip:  Definitely the gallery to visit if you want to demonstrate to your disenchanted friend that contemporary art can be far from boring!

König Galerie Alexandrinenstraße 118-121, 10969 – Berlin

Info, opening hours and exhibitions: koenig.art

Galerie Thomas Schulte

A little more traditional, but still groundbreaking in its choice of artists and artworks, Galerie Thomas Schulte is another must-visit contemporary art gallery in Berlin. 

Located in the Mitte, within walking distance to other major contemporary art attractions in the city, Galerie Thomas Schulte is located in the landmark nineteenth-century Tuteur House, a magnificent white palace on Charlottenstrasse. 

Founded in 1991, the gallery’s “focus has been placed on nurturing, supporting, and sustaining outstanding and inspiring artistic positions in international conceptual art spanning from the 1960s to the present”, as stated on their website. 

Galerie Thomas Schulte was one of the first galleries to open in Berlin after Germany’s reunification and soon became a focal point for Berlin’s re-emerging art scene. Nowadays, the gallery works and represents well-established German and international artists, which displays both in its spaces and in all the major art fairs around the world, from Art Basel to The Armory Show and ARCOmadrid. 

As they state, “We stand for substantial concept-based art that resonates with the present and is relevant for the future. For this, we create the best possible context out of an honest understanding of our artists and collectors.”

The tip:  Visit Galerie Thomas Schulte if you are missing posh London galleries or if you want to discover your next million-dollar favorite artist! 

Charlottenstraße 24, 10117 Berlin

Eigen + Art

Less flamboyant on the outside, but equally as interesting, Galerie Eigen + Art is located in a former school in the Mitte area and represents both established and young artists. It originally opened in the 1980s in Leipzig, and moved to Berlin at a later time, quickly becoming one of the most interesting galleries in the city. With spaces in Leipzig and Berlin, the gallery is now an international player, taking part in all the major art fairs around the world and launching programs worldwide. 

The artists exhibited by the gallery work with all sorts of media, from video and photography to installation, painting, sculpture, and even conceptual art and performance. Every visit to the gallery will gift you with wonderful and well-curated exhibitions, as well as top-class artists and thought-provoking artworks. 

One thing I particularly like about the gallery is their attention to artists. As they state on their website: “Through the constant cooperation with the artists, the gallery is involved in the steady development of each artistic approach and hence involved in the current art events since its very beginning.” 

And it shows, as they also opened a second space, called The Eigen + Art Lab, dedicated to experimentation and interaction between artists, curators, and the public. 

The tip:  With an impressive list of artists and a perfect location, surrounded by all sorts of galleries and hip cafes, Eigen + Art is guaranteed to become one of your favorites. 

Auguststraße 26, 10117 Berlin

https://eigen-art.com/

Galeria Plan B

I saved it for the grand finale, as this is hands down my favorite gallery in Berlin. Galeria Plan B was founded by Mihai Pop and Adrian Ghenie himself. Being one of my favorite artists, it comes as no surprise that everything he does ends up automatically among my personal favorites!

But the gallery is far more than just that. Originally opened in 2005 in Cluj, Romania, it is meant to be both a production and exhibition space for contemporary art. It is primarily dedicated to Romanian art from the last 50 years, and it works with remarkable artists without previous international exposure.

The Berlin space opened in 2008, and it has made a name for itself over the past decade or so. Directly linked to the programs and exhibitions in Cluj, the Berlin space hosts interesting exhibitions, and it is a great way to get in touch with both up-and-coming Romanian artists as well as more established ones that are still far from getting the recognition they deserve. 

The tip :  The gallery is located just steps away from the Neue Nationalgalerie and close to Potsdamer Platz, so you can easily reach while out and about enjoying Berlin. 

Galeria Plan B Potsdamer Strasse 77-87, Building G, Second Courtyard, Berlin

Open Tuesday-Saturday, 12–18 h

Info, opening hours and exhibitions: www.plan-b.ro

Cover image by Reiseuhu on Unsplash

Contemporary art in Madrid: a brief introduction and some favorites

Five good reasons to visit naples if you are a contemporary art lover.

Hidden Treasure: Discover Bologna’s Thriving Contemporary Art Scene

Top 3 contemporary art museums in Vienna

Copenhagen: contemporary art in the most livable city in the world

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Latest posts

The artsy travels guide to the 2024 venice biennale exhibitions, beyond the biennale. 3 magic spots for contemporary art in venice, awaiting the biennale: 4 contemporary art galleries to check in venice , collaborations & partners.

Join our Newsletter

Email address

Privacy Overview

• Contrast Contrast

Galleries & Exhibition Spaces in Berlin

Discover contemporary art

Berlin is one of the cities with the most exhibitions   worldwide. At countless vernissages, in project spaces, in galleries, in salons, private flats and at art projects in public spaces, you can discover a lot in Berlin, even away from the big houses and events.

Galleries and art exhibitions

Berlin's gallery scene is as diverse as the city itself. Here you can discover contemporary art in large established art museums such as the Neuen Nationalgalerie , the Hamburger Bahnhof f or the KW Institut für Contemporary Art . In addition, there are hundreds of art exhibitions in private and municipal galleries, project spaces and exhibition rooms, of which we present a small selection here. We invite you on a foray through Berlin's art scene. The spectrum ranges from internationally renowned artists to exciting experimental art and street art. Because Berlin, art and creativity simply belong together.

Tickets for exhibitions

Berlin Art Week & Gallery Weekend - Highlights of the Berlin Art Year

The highlights of the year certainly include the Berlin Art Week with the art fair Positions and the Gallery Weekend . In addition, new ideas and projects are always enriching the scene with pop-up events and exciting shows that you can discover in all corners of the city throughout the year. In many districts, artists open their studios to the public every year. Both the Universität der Künste (UdK) and the Akademie der Künste (AdK) invite you to look into their studios and ateliers on Open Day.

Caspar David Friedrich

Infinite Landscapes: April 19th – August 4, 2024. Major exhibition in the Alte Nationalgalerie on the work of the most important painter of German Romanticism with famous icons such as Monk by the Sea ,  The Arctic Ocean and the Chalk Cliffs on Rügen.

Mehr erfahren

Contemporary art in Berlin can also be found in rather unusual places: from salons in private flats to record shops, bars and restaurants - Berlin's art scene is creative. Clubs like Kraftwerk , Tresor , Berghain  or Wilde Renate open their rooms for exhibitions and events. In former factory halls, such as the Kunsthalle in the hangars at the former Tempelhof Airport or the Wilhelm Hallen in Reinickendorf, art becomes an experience.

Gallery districts in Berlin    

The most important gallery districts in Berlin can be found in Auguststraße in Mitte, in City West and in Wedding. But there is also plenty to discover in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg and Neukölln. You can benefit from attractive discounts at some institutions with the Berlin Welcome Card. 

Berlin Welcome Card

By the way: the whole of Berlin is a gigantic open-air gallery . From sculptures in public spaces to urban art - why not combine your gallery tour with a stroll ?

Galleries in Mitte: From Auguststraße to the Boros Bunker

In Berlin Mitte you will find numerous galleries along Auguststraße. Start at KW Insitute for Contemporary Art and stroll along Auguststraße to the EIGEN+Art gallery, for example. It's also worth taking a detour to the parallel Linienstraße, for example to the ifa Gallery , which looks at art across mental and territorial boundaries, to Martin Mertens or to the Galerie Neu in a former heating power station.

Art. Direct.

A unique alliance of artists and logisticians to create a new kind of online gallery. Our motto: Art is for everyone! That's why you'll only find originals at affordable prices.

Since 1994, Galerie neugerriemeschneide r has been presenting exciting artists beyond Berlin's borders, in the beginning, for example, the then still unknown Olafur Eliasson . Today, Ai Weiwei and Billy Childish are also part of the programme of the internationally active gallery with branches in Miami, Basel and Hong Kong. 15 minutes' walk away, the private collector Christian Boros shows his collection in a converted bunker  as part of 1.5-hour guided tours. You have to book these in advance.

On an international level, the Julia Stoscheck Foundation deals with video and digital art as well as new media. In the Schinkel Pavillon , beautifully located in the park of the Kronprinzenpalais, you will also find installations and sometimes quite provocative media art. From here you also have a wonderful panoramic view of important Berlin sights such as the Berlin Cathedral, the TV Tower and the Friedrichswerdersche Kirche , today also an exhibition space.

Also worthwhile are side trips to the collection of the Neuer Berliner Kunstverein   (n.b.k.), founded back in 1969, to the Galerie Thomas Schulte , one of the first gallery start-ups after the fall of the Wall, to Sprüth Magers and to the Tschechische Zentrum  (Czech Centre) with its affiliated gallery.

The Akademie der Künste , with branches on Pariser Platz near the Brandenburg Gate and in Hansastrasse, is one of the oldest European cultural institutes with an international community of artists. If you want to know what the next generation of artists in the capital is up to, you can talk to them directly on a tour of the University of the Arts (in Charlottenburg). Every year in summer, many studios are opened for the Open Day.

Still an insider tip is the art exhibition in the German Bundestag - even though the foundation stone for the extensive collection was laid back in 1969.

Art and subculture in Berlin Mitte

A visit to the Neurotitan Gallery in Haus Schwarzenberg is a bit like a trip back to the wild Berlin of the 1990s. Organised as a non-profit association, the spirit of the creative awakening of the post-reunification period in Berlin lives on here right next to the Hackesche Höfe. In addition to art and subculture, impulses are sent into the city here in workshops and interventions. In the same building complex you will also find the Monsterkabinett , the Kino Zentral and the club bar Eschschlloraque Rümschrümp . 

Photography and contemporary art in City West

Attention photography fans : Not far from the Zoologischer Garten, the c/o Berlin and the Helmut Newton Foundation are two renowned museums for photography enthusiasts in the immediate vicinity. A trip to Camera Work on Kantstraße is also worthwhile. In the streets around Savignyplatz you will find a whole series of private galleries, such as the CFA Gallery on Grolmannstraße.

If you are interested in Berlin artists, you should visit the Kommunale Galerie Berlin at Hohenzollerndamm 176. In addition to changing exhibitions, the gallery's Artothek lends 1400 modern and contemporary works of art on a temporary basis, most of them by Berlin artists: Paintings, photography, prints, objects and sculptures - and art for children. One focus is on city photographs. And digital art can be admired at DAM Projects near the Lietzensee.

Architecture and art in Prenzlauer Berg

Starting from Pfefferberg, you can explore the gallery scene in Prenzlauer Berg. The Aedes Architecture Forum in Pfefferberg, for example, has been dealing with architecture and urban design since 1980, albeit in different premises at the time. Since Prenzlauer Berg was largely undamaged in the Second World War, you will find many architecturally exciting buildings here, especially from the Gründerzeit. 300 buildings are listed, such as the Stadtbad Oderberger Straße .. 

Contemporary Art & Discourse in Schöneberg

Along Potsdamer Strasse and Lützowstrasse, not far from Potsdamer Platz and Gleisdreieckpark, you will find numerous galleries, such as Esther Schipper. Here you can expect not a static exhibition space, but a lively discourse on contemporary art including lectures, workshops, concerts and performances. A little further south, not far from the Haus am Kleistpark , is the ChertLüdde gallery on Hauptstraße in Schöneberg. 

If you are interested in street art, we recommend a trip to Bülowstraße. Here you can walk past numerous murals to the Urban Nation Museum of Contemporary Art . A little insider tip is the Kleine Grosz Museum , dedicated to the Berlin painter Georg Grosz, with a nice café in the premises of the historic petrol station. 

Galleries and exhibition spaces in Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg

In Berlin's trendy neighbourhoods, you'll find art on the street. Starting with the famous East Side Gallery , you can discover numerous other murals on a tour through Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg . Perfect starting points to explore the street art scene in Berlin are also Holzmarkt or Urban Spree . Here you can immerse yourself in Berlin's young urban art  scene and experience exhibitions, concerts and more.

Exciting in a socio-critical context are also the many exhibition spaces that deal with topics such as diversity and social justice. With the neuen Gesellschaft für bildende Kunst (ngbk), you will find one of the most active and member-strongest art associations in Germany at Oranienstraße 25 - organised on a grassroots democratic basis since 1969.

The Kreuzberg/Bethanien art space ( Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien ) is only a seven-minute walk away. Once a deaconess hospital and, in the 1960s, the sung-about base of Berlin's squatter scene, the building has a chequered history. Today, the exhibitions in the Kunstraum place social and cultural contemporary processes in the context of contemporary art. On the border with Treptow is Flutgraben e.V. , a non-profit art association with many studios, exhibition and project spaces.

Kreuzberg is also home to established galleries such as the BBA Gallery , which is run by a team of artists and regularly offers artist prizes. The private Galerie König , which represents around 40 international artists, is housed in a former church.

Contemporary art in Neukölln

Neukölln may not (yet) be one of Berlin's cultural centres, but there are still some galleries and interesting projects to discover in this district characterised by diversity. The perfect starting point is the KINDL - Centre for Contemporary Art ( KINDL - Zentrum für Zeitgenössische Kunst ). Its 1600 square metres of exhibition space include the former boiler house, which, at 120 metres high, often shows spectacular site-specific works.

Just a 15-minute walk from here, the Galerie im Körnerpark shows communal art. Stroll another ten minutes along the busy Karl-Marx-Strasse and you will reach the Galerie im Saalbau , also a municipal project. You can see how inventive the young trendy neighbourhood is at the Kunstbrücke Wildenbruch . In the summer of 2021, the historic toilet facility was converted into a whimsical exhibition space that recalls times when unusual, non-commercial art and cultural spaces were still a natural part of the cityscape.

Unusual cultural venues in Wedding

There are now numerous exciting cultural venues in the old working-class district. Former factory halls, barracks and other time-honoured walls provide the perfect backdrop for contemporary art and creative projects. In Silent Green , a former crematorium, concerts and exhibitions take place today. The same goes for the Wiesenburg, a former asylum for the homeless built in 1896, and the listed Uferhallen and Uferstudios on the former site of the Berlin transport company house studios and studios. A central cultural venue for all of Berlin - and also the starting point for the annual Berlin Art Week .

Excursion destinations: Art exhibitions in the countryside

There is also contemporary art to discover outside the centre of Berlin. Located close to the idyllic Grunewald forest, the Haus am Waldsee attracts visitors with its extensive sculpture garden. Founded in 1946, the exhibition house is now a permanent institution with important works by contemporary Berlin artists. Only a 25-minute walk away, the Brücke Museum houses the largest international collection of the Expressionist artists' group. Another 25 minutes away, at Köppe Contemporary in an art nouveau villa, you will discover changing exhibitions of young and established contemporary artists.

Other exciting destinations for art lovers are the Haus Lemke in Pankow, designed by Mies van der Rohe, the Liebermann Villa in the painter's former summer house on Wannsee or the Schwartzsche Villa in Steglitz. In this former summer residence of a Berlin banking family you will find a wide cultural programme today, as well as a nice café and a large beer garden.

A visit to the Spandau Citadel , one of the most important fortresses of the High Renaissance, also offers contemporary art.

The Haubrok Foundation shows mainly conceptual works in the Fahrbereitschaft in Lichtenberg, a former GDR commercial building from the 1950s. Nearby, Dark Matter is the world's only museum for light art and interactive installations.

• Share on Facebook Share on Facebook
• Share on X Share on X
• Share by email Share by email
• Print page Print page

Outside Suburbia Family

Luxury | Wellness | Art | Experiential Family Travel & Lifestyle

Best Modern Art Museums & Galleries in Berlin

Posted on July 27, 2022 February 29, 2024 Author Priya Leave a comment

• 1 Pinterest

If you’re a fan of modern and contemporary art, then Berlin is the city for you! This vibrant metropolis is home to some of the best art galleries and museums in the world. Whether you’re interested in abstract painting, surrealism, or post-modern sculpture, you’ll find something to love in Berlin. 

In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the most popular art galleries and museums in the city. So put on your walking shoes and let’s get started!

WHAT IS IN THIS POST

Berlin Museum Pass

Berlin Museums feature impressive works of art, archaeological treasures from six thousand years of human history and historical monuments to technical inventions and interactive experiments for the whole family. Get the Berlin museum pass that guarantees  free admission to over 30 museums  on three consecutive days. You might still have to reserve a timeslot for your visit.

The Best Contemporary Art Galleries and Modern Art Museums in Berlin

Contemporary fine arts.

If you’re looking to experience some of the best contemporary art that Berlin has to offer, Contemporary Fine Arts, or CFA, is definitely worth a visit. The gallery showcases a range of cutting-edge mediums from a variety of world-class artists, both local and international.

And since relocating to west Berlin, between Savignyplatz and Kurfürstendamm, it’s become even more central and accessible. Some of the artists you can expect to see at CFA include Jonathan Meese, Georg Baselitz, and others who are sure to provoke thought and spark conversation. So if you’re in the area, make sure to swing by and check out what’s on display!

KW Institute for Contemporary Art

KW Institute for Contemporary Art has been a driving force in the Berlin art scene for over 20 years. Founded in a former margarine factory, KW has always been a place for new and innovative talent to showcase their work.

More recently, curator Ellen Blumenstein has shifted the focus of the institution back to engaging with the public, with a lively program of exhibitions, film screenings, talks, and presentations. KW remains one of the most important cultural institutions in Berlin and is well worth a visit for anyone interested in contemporary art.

Sammlung Boros

If you’re looking for an exclusive art experience in Berlin, the Sammlung Boros (Boros Collection), also known as the Boros Bunker, is worth a visit. Located in a former World War II bomb shelter, the bunker has been transformed into a luxurious gallery that houses cutting-edge art from internationally renowned artists like Olafur Eliasson, Wolfgang Tillmans, and Tracey Emin.

In addition to the incredible art on display, the bunker itself is a fascinating site. With its rich history – it was also used as a prison and an S&M fetish club before being converted into an art gallery – the bunker is truly one of Berlin’s hidden gems.

Tours are available by appointment only, so be sure to book in advance if you want to experience this unique attraction.

Hamburger Bahnhof

The Hamburger Bahnhof is the former train terminal of the Berlin-Hamburg Railway, located in Moabit. The repurposed space now houses a comprehensive collection of contemporary art as the Museum für Gegenwart, or Museum of the Present.

The museum was created after Berlin entrepreneur Erich Marx offered his private contemporary art collection to the city. The collection contains large-format works by Paul McCarthy, Jason Rhoades, Rodney Graham, Peter Fischli and David Weiss, and Stan Douglas, including elaborate installations and complex filmic spaces.

The impressive space also has guest exhibitions, education and outreach programs, and regular events. The museum is a must-see for anyone interested in contemporary art, and the periodicals library is open to the public as well.

EIGEN + ART

EIGEN + ART was started by Gerd Harry Lybke in the early 1990s, at a time when Berlin was going through a period of great transformation. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the city was in a state of flux, and Lybke saw an opportunity to inject some much-needed energy into the art scene.

Thanks to his vision and determination, EIGEN + ART quickly became one of the leading galleries in Berlin, discovering and promoting new talents such as Neo Rauch, Stella Hamberg, and Uwe Kowski.

The gallery has always been dedicated to pushing boundaries and presenting contemporary artists in a variety of different forms, including media, film, photography, installation, painting, and sculpture.

In recent years, EIGEN + ART has also expanded its operations, opening a second branch of the gallery (EIGEN + ART Lab) to work more closely with established artists. There is no doubt that EIGEN + ART has had a profound impact on Berlin’s art scene, and it continues to be a driving force in the city’s cultural life.

Kunstraum Kreuzberg / Bethanien

Künstlerhaus Bethanien is a Berlin institution championing contemporary art for over 40 years. Located in the Kreuzberg district, Bethanien is housed in a former hospital that was built in 1847. The sprawling grounds include an exhibition space, studios for working artists, and a garden that is open to the public.

Bethanien presents a diverse range of exhibitions, with a particular focus on art with a socio-political bent. The open studio events are vivacious, giving visitors a chance to meet the artists and see their work in progress.

Recently, Bethanien has also become known for its innovative educational programs, which provide opportunities for young people to engage with the arts. With its commitment to social engagement and its rich history, Künstlerhaus Bethanien is an essential part of the Berlin art scene.

East Side Gallery

The East Side Gallery is a must-see for anyone visiting Berlin. This mile-long section of the Berlin Wall features over 100 murals, graffiti artworks, slogans, and tags executed by a collective of Berlin artists. The East Side Gallery is a memorial to the pioneering street spirit that buzzed around the city during reunification.

The East Side Gallery is open to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is one of the largest open-air permanent art exhibits in the world.

Visitors can explore the Gallery at their own pace or take a guided tour. Guided tours are available in English and German and must be booked in advance. Whether you choose to explore the East Side Gallery on your own or take a guided tour, this unique exhibit is not to be missed.

See this post for the best places to find Street Art Murals in Berlin

Capitain Petzel

Capitain Petzel is one of the world’s leading contemporary art galleries, housed in a Soviet-era Modernist block in former East Berlin. The restored space sprawls across three floors and hosts a range of exhibitions, making it a pilgrimage site for both art collectors and architecture lovers alike.

Started in 2008 as a collaborative project between gallerist Gisela Capitain from Cologne and German-born, New York-based, Friedrich Petzel, the gallery exhibits an international range of contemporary artists including John Stezaker and Wade Guyton, as well as Martin Kippenberger and Sarah Morris.

Capitain Petzel has helped to put Berlin on the map as a major destination for contemporary art, and its exhibitions are not to be missed.

Map of Berlin’s Art Museums, Galleries & More

Other museums in berlin.

A few other museums that should be on your Berlin Museums list are:

Berlin Wall Memorial

This free indoor/outdoor museum and memorial is one of the things to do in Berlin you can’t miss. The Berlin Wall Memorial is the best place to learn how the Berlin Wall sprung up overnight, what life was like in the former East German state, and the heartbreaking attempts people made to reunite with their families.

As you walk along this one-mile stretch of Bernauer Strasse, you can see the many open-air exhibits featuring photographs and signs detailing the stories on either side of the barrier. There’s also a preserved piece of the original border wall and a watchtower. The indoor visitor center chronicles the political and historical events surrounding the city’s division.

Neues Museum

Museum Island or Museumsinsel took 100 years to build (from 1830 to 1930) and is one of the most visited sights in Germany’s capital of Berlin. Located in this complex, The Neues Museum  (New Museum) is home to several collections from the Ancient World.

It has artifacts from the Paleolithic period to the Middle Ages, but it’s best known as Berlin’s Egyptian museum. It showcases art, sculptures, statues, manuscripts on papyrus, as well as magnificent burial chambers from Egypt dating from around 2500 BC.

While there are over 9,000 objects on view, people come to see the bust of Nefertiti, the ancient Egyptian “Green Head” sculpture, and the “ Berlin Gold Hat ,” a ceremonial gold headdress stamped with celestial bodies.

Other museums to visit here are: Altes Museum (Old Museum) which is Berlin’s oldest museum, The Alte Nationalgalerie houses 19th-century paintings, Bode-Museum is home to the Sculpture Collection and Museum of Byzantine Art and Pergamonmuseum .

Alte Nationalgalerie

In what looks like a Greek temple, The Alte Nationalgalerie houses one of the most important collections of 19th-century painting in Germany and includes masterpieces by Caspar David Friedrich, Adolph Menzel, Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir and Auguste Rodin.

Pergamonmuseum

Last but not the least, this is one of Berlin’s most-visited museums! Pergamonmuseum is one of the highlights of Museum Island, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site with five historical institutions devoted to art and archaeology.

This huge three-wing museum is packed with ancient treasures and artifacts. The exhibition in the Pergamonmuseum features full-scale reconstructions of architectural monuments   from Greek and Roman antiquity.

Its star attraction of the museum and its namesake—is the Pergamon Altar, a masterpiece of Hellenistic art from 180–160 BCE. (However, the altar, and most of the north wing in which it’s housed, are undergoing refurbishment until 2025.) 

For a small charge of 12,00 €, you can experience the Pergamon Altar in its original architectural context, on the Acropolis at the PERGAMON. Masterpieces from the Ancient Metropolis with a 360° Panorama by Yadegar Asisi. Asisi has reconstructed the city as it was during the time of the High Roman Empire under the rule of Emperor Hadrian (AD 117–138). It is located on the street Am Kupfergraben, which is directly across from Museumsinsel .

You can visit many top-class museums in Berlin free of charge on the first Sunday of each month, see the list here .

Berlin is the most liberal, artist-friendly place and I hope you get to visit some of these galleries and art museums on your next visit to the capital of Germany.

PIN IT FOR LATER

Note:  This post may contain affiliate links, partnership or sponsored content. If you purchase an item via one of these links, we may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. But as always images and opinions are our own. For more information on our affiliates and privacy policy at Outside Suburbia see here .

CONNECT WITH US

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Want to make your trips memorable?

Join our newsletter and get the inside scoop on cool destinations, earth-friendly hotels, luxury stays, easy adventures, and authentic travel inspiration!

Email address:

A Short Guide to Berlin Wall Museums and Memorials

The Berlin Wall not only cut through the German capital, it was an emblem of a world divided during the Cold War. Here is a short guide to Berlin Wall Museums and Memorials.

(Photo: William Warby via Flickr.com / CC BY-SA 2.0)

It could be argued that the Berlin Wall is one of the most important pieces of reinforced concrete in history. Built in 1961 to physically disconnect West Berlin from the GDR, following the division of the city following WW2, the Berlin Wall did more than just separate a country, it put the Cold War in the deep freeze. The whole world became divided, with nuclear arms becoming a stick that would be waved over the wall, while families and friends living in the German capital wondered how they would see their loved ones again. In early November 1989 half a million people gathered at the wall in a mass protest – five days later, on November 9, this dividing line between countries, people and lives started to come down. 

Among the jubilation and tears of joy, the Berlin Wall was dismantled, graffiti-strewn concrete chunks taken down piece-by-piece. But while the wall itself is almost completely gone, pieces kept as souvenirs across the world, the divisions of the Berlin Wall still linger today, as well as the aftershocks of the global standoff that it helped to create. The two sides of Berlin have been rebuilt in recent years but the scars remain, defining the identity of its urban sprawl even today. To get a real sense of the Berlin Wall, past, present and future, there are many museums and memorials to visit in Berlin, some with an entrance fee and some free to visit. Here is a short guide to the Berlin Wall memorials and museums. 

Asisi Berlin

(Photo: Jannis Mayr © asisi)

Located inside an old industrial-looking gasometer next to Checkpoint Charlie, one of Berlin’s most famous border crossings, it would be easy to dismiss Asisi Berlin, a ‘360 Panorama’, as a slightly forgettable tourist experience. This would be a mistake. The installation by Kreuzberg wall artist Yadegar Asisi is much more than that. It is a captivating, unique artwork that tricks the eyes and transports you into a day in West Berlin in the 1980s, with the death strip looming behind, rather than a quick rundown of the history of the wall. On a Wednesday afternoon you can’t help thinking that it should be full of art buffs, rather than groups of bored-looking school kids. The visual effect of the panorama really hits you on the viewing platform, the perspective lining up to fool your eyes into thinking the petting zoo, the psychedelically-painted Mercedes and the well-worn kneipe are all really there in front of you. The experience is well worth the 11 Euro (adult) ticket and comes with a video on the life, works and thoughts of Asisi himself. Visit midweek lunchtime when it’s quiet for the best experience. 

Purchase Tickets

East Side Gallery

The name can be a bit confusing – this is not a little gallery perched on a quiet street in Mitte, with glasses of kombucha to sip while you check out GDR-era artworks. This is in fact the longest surviving section of the wall itself, a memorial in Berlin-Friedrichshain that also serves as a permanent open-air gallery. Here, you’d be best to come early morning if you want to avoid the crowds and walk along over a kilometre of murals that are constantly being repainted to cover up endless tags. Immediately after the wall came down in 1989, 118 artists from 21 countries started painting the East Side Gallery, and it officially opened as an open air gallery on 28 September 1990. Highlights of a visit are undoubtedly Dmitri Vrubel’s Fraternal Kiss and Birgit Kinders’s Trabant breaking through the wall. There’s not much in the way of explanations or signs which is no bad thing – this is a place to stroll and imagine yourself in history thirty or forty years ago. 

Mauer Museum

(Photo: Oliver Stallwood for TravelMag.com)

The Mauer Museum dates back almost as far back as the wall itself. The first exhibition ‘It Happened at the Wall’ was staged in a 2.5 room flat in West Berlin shortly after the wall’s construction, followed on 14 June 1963 by the opening of the museum at the ‘Haus am Checkpoint Charlie’, designed primarily as a protest against the concrete barrier. Even though this museum is a now one of Berlin’s best-loved tourist attractions it still has that slightly revolutionary spirit, wordy captions explaining the history of the wall’s construction alongside exhibits showing daring escapes – it’s more fun than you might imagine. There is a more serious side too, with the museum helping to document and highlight deaths and atrocities that happened after the war. The Mauer Museum should be high on the list of anyone who has even a passing interest in the history of the Berlin Wall.

The Wall Museum

Not to be confused with the Mauer Museum (translation Wall Museum), the Wall Museum over in Friedrichshain stands next to the East Side Gallery. Mikhail Gorbachev announced the opening of the new museum on the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and it opened in March 2016. The aim of this museum is to tell the entire story of the Wall, from the reasons behind its construction in the Sixties to the dramatic days in November 1989 when it finally fell. The museum is full of never-before-seen documents and films and is a fascinating insight into how the wall divided both a nation and a planet. The highlight has to be a unique multimedia experience across more than 100 screens, documenting the key moments in the history of the Berlin Wall. 

Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse

(Photo: Brian Dooley via flickr.com)

Extending along 1.4km of the former border strip, the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse is a must-see. This is the site of various escape attempts, including one woman who held onto a rope out of a window, many of which were fatal, others successful, It is the only section of the Berlin Wall that has been preserved in its full depth. This is probably the only place where you can experience the various elements of the border strip as it looked at the end of the 1980s too. The Berlin Wall Memorial has an outdoor exhibition on the history of the division and the grounds also include the memorial recalling the divided city and the victims of communist tyranny, as well as the ‘Window of Remembrance’, the Chapel of Reconciliation, and the exposed foundations of a former apartment house. There is also a group of places to visit on the other side of the street, on the west side, with a Visitor Center, Documentation Center, and a viewing platform. 

Berlin: 2-Hour Berlin Wall Tour

(Photo: Getyourguide.com)

If you are only in Berlin for a couple of days this short tour makes perfect sense. Over just two hours you get a comprehensive background on the Berlin Wall and the events that took place around it, accompanied by stories about those who lived through it. You will trace the original path of the Berlin Wall, from Berlin Gesundbrunnen to Prenzlauer Berg, at the same time an expert local guide explaining the timeline from 1961 to the reunification in November 1989. This is about bringing the past to life, with a mix of facts, tales of human resilience and even humour in the face of this concrete dividing line. The tour also visits the Berlin Wall Memorial where you can climb the lookout to see a preserved area of the former border strip. From €23.

Book at Getyourguide.com

East Berlin and the Wall: Walking Tour

For something a little more indepth this top-rated tour is highly recommended. During 3.5 hours you will visit Potsdamer Platz, where the wall bisected, and travel by S-Bahn from Nordbahnhof, a former ghost station, to the Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse, to see the death strip for yourself. The knowledgeable guide has plenty of stories you are unlikely to hear elsewhere, really bringing to life the era of the Berlin Wall. Finally you head to Alexanderplatz, the centre of GDR life, and on to the East Side Gallery, a section of the wall adorned with 104 murals. From €290 per group up to five.

Latest Articles

• 5 of the Best Boat or Yacht Shipping Companies May 2, 2024
• Editor Picks: Hotels on the Palm, Dubai May 2, 2024
• Editor’s Choice: Escorted Tours of the United States May 2, 2024
• Yacht Charter in Newport, Rhode Island: The Best Companies May 2, 2024
• 5 of the Best Scuba Diving Resorts in Cozumel & Playa del Carmen May 1, 2024

• Icon Link Plus Icon

5 Must-See Shows at Gallery Weekend Berlin 2024

By Chris Erik Thomas

Chris Erik Thomas

Like clockwork, springtime in Berlin brings brighter skies, warmer temperatures, and a wave of must-see exhibitions for Gallery Weekend Berlin. This year, the event celebrates its 20th anniversary edition, taking place April 26–28, with over 90 presentations at more than 60 locations across the city.

Even as one of Berlin’s most important art events reaches an important milestone, its new director, Antonia Ruder, said the key to Gallery Weekend Berlin’s continued success is highlighting what’s fresh on the scene.

“My focus is on young galleries, and they also receive special attention in the communication of the event,” Ruder told ARTnews . “The young galleries are particularly important for the representation of young artists.” Not to be missed are the proverbial “new kids on the block,” Heidi and Molitor, two galleries founded in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Fitting with the celebratory air of this year’s Gallery Weekend, a handful of established spaces will have their own anniversaries: both Max Hetzler and Kicken are celebrating 50 years, while Klosterfelde Edition marks 35 years on the scene.

What would Gallery Weekend be without some treats for early birds? Alongside the 50 official galleries are a constellation of other spaces opening new exhibitions. Be sure to add the group show “Shudder Mornings” at the new Kreuzberg hotspot Cabin and Hannah Rose Stewart’s solo show “Apotheke” at Sandy Brown to your itinerary.

The champagne will soon be poured as the crowds pack in to see a mix of contemporary and historical shows. Before you throw on your spring gallery outfits and dash around the city, here are five must-see shows at Gallery Weekend Berlin 2024.

“territory” at Sprüth Magers

The major group show “territory,” which focuses exclusively on female Asian artists, will award visitors with a gripping, multisensory experience carefully curated by Shi-ne Oh, senior director of the gallery’s Berlin branch. Taking over all the gallery’s exhibition spaces, the five artists, none of whom are represented by Sprüth Magers, confront everything from the restraints of language and memory to the boundaries of the body in their work. Besides the obvious political connotations associated with physical borders, “territory” also aims to confront the very definition of the borders and boundaries surrounding us, questioning “how they both limit and liberate our transgressive desires on physical as well as psychological terrain.”

Downstairs, Gala Porras-Kim’s Untitled (Efflorescence) acts as a literal division. Created especially for the exhibition, the concrete partition is supersaturated with salt, slowly deteriorating as it rises to the surface. Nearby, a mix of scents is central to Tan Jing’s dueling olfactory works. Brittle plaster tiles stretch across the gallery floor in Floor Tiles and Flowers , crumbling and releasing a blend of spices native to Thailand, while fabric floral garlands created for The Souvenir II layer in the fragrance of Thai talcum powder. Meanwhile, Liu Yujia’s two video works, Harvesting and Mushrooms , focus on wood ear fungi harvesting in the China–North Korea border region, melding the political, personal, and spiritual.

Upstairs, Mire Lee’s kinetic sculptural work Look, I’m a fountain of filth raving mad with love captures the sound of slowly spinning sludge inside cavernous concrete mixers. And in the gallery’s Window space, Zhang Ruyi’s takeover offers an examination of China’s accelerated urbanization throughout the 1990s through the recurrence of cacti.

April 27–June 29, at Oranienburger Straße 18, 10178 Berlin.

“Haley Mellin: Biodiversity and Betadiversity” at Dittrich & Schlechtriem

Since opening its doors in 2011, Dittrich & Schlechtriem has developed a strong reputation for showcasing experimental, more youthful positions. Its Gallery Weekend Berlin show promises to continue the trend with artist and conservationist Haley Mellin taking over the space for the first time. In “Biodiversity and Betadiversity,” climate change takes the spotlight as Mellin presents a series of new works that tap into her lifelong commitment to environmental justice, conservation, and the sustainable evolution of diverse ecosystems.

As both the founder of the nonprofit organization Art to Acres and co-founder of a number of initiatives taking on climate sustainability in art communities, Mellin’s passion is infused in each piece. The focus of this new exhibition will be a series capturing the very ecosystems she is fighting to protect. Observational paintings and drawings of landscapes, both gestural and detailed, are created specifically through the use of gouache and charcoal, mediums picked for their non-toxic properties.

Grab your calendars and jot this one down: Alongside the exhibition, Mellin will also take part in a panel conversation at the gallery on Friday, April 26, at 4pm moderated by Klaus Biesenbach, director of the Neue Nationalgalerie.

April 24–June 29, at Linienstrasse 23, 10178 Berlin.

“Akeem Smith: SOUNDCLASH” at Heidi

Of the many galleries to check out on Kurfürstenstraße in Schoneberg, art lovers may hear Heidi’s new show before they see it. “SOUNDCLASH” marks the second solo exhibition by artist Akeem Smith, who has created a series of new sound installations for his high-decibel sophomore outing. Literally taking inspiration from his childhood in Kingston, Jamaica, Smith created the works from the remnants of old building materials found around the city.

The tall, lean sculptures continue the artist’s ongoing interrogation of the concept of “loudness.”  This time tackling the term’s pejorative use in regard to protest, cultural expression, and social communication. As a press release explains, “When Smith loads his sculptures with the sounds of protest, including plaintive screams and cry for help, his work asks whether the desperation of the powerless, when accumulated and amplified, drifts into this territory of loudness.” The auditory experience of “SOUNDCLASH” will offer a moment of reflection before visitors dash off to the next location on their Gallery Weekend itinerary.

April 26–June 1, at Kurfürstenstraße 145, 10785 Berlin.

Sofia Salazar Rosales and Gabriel Chaile at ChertLüdde

In the southern end of Schöneberg, ChertLüdde will play host to two concurrent exhibitions by Cuban-Ecuadorian artist Sofia Salazar Rosales and Argentine artist Gabriel Chaile, marking each artist’s second solo shows at the gallery. Salazar Rosales has created a series of site-specific sculptural worlds that dive into the connections between her personal history and her deep ancestral roots. Dancing forms the foundation of this exhibition, with the artist’s fluid sculptures prompting viewers to welcome the electric uncertainty and thrill of dancing with a stranger—a concept that feels right at home in Berlin’s club-centric cultural sector.

Meanwhile, Chaile’s new exhibition centers around a large environmental installation dedicated to the tapir, the Amazon region’s largest surviving native terrestrial mammal. Strokes and lines can be seen within the adobe clay on view here. With a focus on his pre-colonial heritage, the immersive, must-see show continues Chaile’s work in highlighting the Indigenous cultures of northeast Argentina.

Sofia Salazar Rosales: April 26–June 22, at Hauptstrasse 18, 10827 Berlin. Gabriel Chaile: April 26–July 20, at Hauptstrasse 18, 10827 Berlin.

“Eliza Douglas: GIFT” at Contemporary Fine Arts

As a general rule, contemporary art aficionados typically make time to see Eliza Douglas’s latest endeavors. The artist, musician, and part-time fashion muse is showing a slew of new works in their first solo exhibition at CFA. The exhibition will present a series of works that celebrate the vitality of painting, especially as a means of depicting the complexities of human experience and perception.

The American artist has staked out a well-deserved reputation for imbuing their work with edginess and wit. The new show is poised to offer viewers a fresh selection of works to contemplate long after Gallery Weekend ends. “GIFT” will highlight Douglas’s own history and relevance in contemporary society while exploring the history of the medium.

April 26—June 1, at Grolmanstraße 32-33, 10623 Berlin.

Missy Elliott’s Former Spyker C8 Supercar Is Now up for Grabs

Safilo’s and david beckham’s perpetual eyewear license signals ongoing industry evolution, xbox handheld rumors are swirling after a new feature hit consoles, penn stock tumbles in first full quarter with espn bet data, the best yoga mats for any practice, according to instructors.

ARTnews is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Art Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

FAD Magazine

FAD Magazine covers contemporary art – News, Exhibitions and Interviews reported on from London

A STROLL AROUND BERLIN: GALLERY WEEKEND 2024

By Paul Carey-Kent • 1 May 2024 Share —      

There are a lot of galleries in Berlin and matters are well coordinated. So it is that, at the end of April, 50 leading galleries open simultaneously for the annual Gallery Weekend. Moreover, most other galleries take the chance to open at the same time. There are good shows to be found in both categories, so here is a democratic choice of five from the official program followed by five others.

The German artist likes to challenge the conventions of the adult and art worlds by making her sculpture in the form of soft toys. Here the titular pun merges putative glamour à la Mae West into an emergency call – perhaps for the consumer society, perhaps for the world. Von Bonin is particularly inspired by Daffy Duck, and by how the cartoon character’s inventor, Chuck Jones,  once claimed that Daffy was actually a chicken in drag/ These whales, cheerfully perched on swings, are lobsters in drag. One on them is labelled ‘WE’, the other ‘’THEY’, which hardly helps the confusion. It seems enough to drive ‘WE’ to drink. 

I would think half the shows during gallery weekend were of painting. Plenty of those could be described as ‘expanded painting’. Most often the expansion was sculptural or spatial, but in the case of Nevin Aladag, there was also sound: her ‘Vibrating Images’ can operate as instruments, in which guise they were activated over the weekend.  Writing for the gallery, Dominikus Muller neatly characterised this as ‘literally setting media categories’ – such as what is painting – ‘into vibration’. 

There’s plenty going on in the cross-cultural mix of the Berlin-based Franco-Indian’s show ‘Buti Blossom’ at PSM – in huge sculptures and various paintings. This is from a series in which the backs of bodies dominate the entire surface of the canvas. For Husain that symbolises the ‘behind’ and the ‘not shown’, saying she wants to ‘show something, but at the same time I don’t show something, because there is never a centre. I don’t construct a subject, there are layers, transparencies, and translucence… It contradicts the European tradition of art history, where it’s more about the very visible and obvious: a topic, a subject, communicating power’. What we see on the backs combines Indian Hamzanama miniatures of men fighting, upended to women loving; the traditional Indo-Persian ‘Buti’ textile motif of repeated images of either a flower or a single figure; iconic European tropes; and offsetting on-the-skin features such as real jewellery. All of which hybridisation ends up not as the mess you might anticipate, but as decoratively alluring…

Max Hezler has the capacity for three big shows across his four Berlin spaces and presented what you might call big beasts of painting in all of them. The Potsdamer straße gallery proves big enough to show 71 of the two metre high ‘butterfly drawings’ that Mark Grotjahn makes obsessively on his kitchen table; Sean Scully remixes his motifs across the two smaller Charlottenburg spaces; and Tal R at Goethestraße – in a more substantial shift from previous work – showed large, irregularly shaped paintings that made me think of keyholes, suggesting a glimpsed partial view to be completed: their abstract play resolves into depictions of Icelandic lakes in non-naturalistic colours. Gallery Weekend, just to be different, was actually the last for the Dane’s show…

Here New York based German Markus Linnenbrink poured his characteristic material – brightly coloured epoxy resin – into a shaped support six feet wide, removing it when dry. He then cut into it with an industrial router pushed by compressed air, which he describes as like ‘drawing with a joystick’. The convoluted rhythmic result is mounted on board, with an overhang allowed to effect a shapely outline. Linnenbrink has long used merged phrases as his titles, artfully slowing our comprehension of how the combination of colours and words triggers emotional reactions, somewhat in the manner of the songs from which his titles often originate. Part of a show which also features his related ‘drills’, ‘drips’ and ‘spheres’.

The main installation in what is – surprisingly – the London-based collaborative’s first solo show in Germany, populates a whole-room of silvery silicon wasteland with thistles. It’s striking even before – in an inspired coup de theatre – we notice that the thistles are moving with an eeriness resembling occasional breathing. The conjunction hints at the collapsing distinctions between humans, other life forms, and machines. Plants – now known to be much more communicative than previously assumed – emerge from the material basis of the hardware that enables artificial intelligence to make their own challenge to any human claim to be uniquely conscious. Ah yes, ‘anima’ is breath or soul in Latin; ‘atman’ has a similar meaning in Indian philosophy, where it extends to cover the essence of every existence, including animals and plants.

Barbara Probst demonstrates the subjectivity of experience by showing the same scene from different viewpoints. In 2000, she began taking multiple images of actors, shot simultaneously with several cameras via a radio-controlled system. Her Berlin gallery had an early work applying this to a simple double portrait format, and cityscapes using this approach from the last decade – and also showed me this example made in the museum where her forthcoming retrospective begins (moving on to Hannover and Cincinnati). It’s hard at first to believe that this is one time and place – but the figure in a dress is standing on top of one wallpaper and in front of another…  

I spotted only two – maximally contrasting – solo shows by British artists: Gallery Hua has the latest spectacular advancement of Jenkin Van Zyl’s metaphor-laden dance marathons featuring rat-like doppelgänger couples in states of exhaustion; Galerie Robert Morat presents Hannah Hughes’ subtly bodily collages, complemented by ceramic sculptures derived from pulp packaging. The form here is constructed from the space between things – Hughes extracts the negative spaces between people or objects in magazine images – so what we’re seeing isn’t so much abstraction as the abstract elements between representations. My last choice also brings abstract and figurative together in a surprising way…

Toronto-based Vickie Vainionpää uses software to generate organic shapes in 3D as the basis for her paintings. Her latest ‘Gaze Series’ creates those forms from the results of eye-tracking software that follows her own paths of looking at famous paintings. Details from the painting in question are then spirited into the abstract form, making for a cunning inflexion of figuration. ‘Scorn’, I reckon, analyses the viewing of a Veronese in the National Gallery, giving me a good reason to close with a great painting that wasn’t in Berlin…

• Art News Berlin
• Berlin Gallery Weekend
• Berlin Gallery Weekend 2024

Paul Carey-Kent

Art critic and curator, based near Southampton. I write most regularly for Art Monthly, Frieze, World of Interiors, Seisma, Border Crossings, Artlyst, ... and, of course, FAD.

Related Posts

London based Kristin Hjellegjerde to open new gallery in Berlin

Kristin Hjellegjerde is opening a new new gallery space in Berlin, located on Linienstraße 130 in Mitte. The gallery will open with a two-artist exhibition on the 26th of April 2018 and will also mark the Gallery’s 6th year anniversary.

Trending Articles

Join the FAD newsletter and get the latest news and articles straight to your inbox

New faces and spaces take centre stage at Gallery Weekend Berlin’s 20th edition

Galleries such as molitor have their debut and mega gallery pace hosts a pop up, while others present shows in brand-new locations.

Klemm's inaugural show in its new Kreuzberg space is a solo show of sculptures by the German artist Jonas Rossmeisl Courtesy of Klemm’s

Gallery Weekend Berlin (GWB), the city’s largest and longest-running commercial art event, opens its 20th edition today (until 28 April). And while Germany's swiftly gentrifying capital is no longer as cheap or free-wheeling as it was when the weekend was established in 2005, the anniversary event, which counts 55 participants, welcomes a host of new spaces and faces. 

Prominent among them is GWB’s freshly appointed director, Antonia Ruder. This is her first edition since taking over in May 2023 from Maike Cruse, who left to lead Art Basel’s Swiss show. “As Berlin no longer has an art fair, its Gallery Weekend is even more important,” Ruder says. “Every year it proves that it is worth travelling to the city.”

Indeed, a number of international collectors are expected to come to town this weekend, making it a key market moment. In a move not officially affiliated with GWB, but certainly taking advantage of the buzz, mega gallery Pace will open a Berlin pop-up until 26 June, during which time it will stage the first European show of the Los Angeles-based painter Maysha Mohamedi. This is the latest and surest sign of Pace making a home in the city, after it established a private office there last year. The pop-up is located in the Schönenberg neighbourhood, within a gallery cluster also featuring Esther Schipper, Judin and Max Hetzler. In a show of community, Pace will stage its opening party during GWB in collaboration with those galleries.

The Los Angeles-based painter Maysha Mohamedi's first European show is at Pace’s Berlin pop-up

Photo: Roman März

“We couldn’t just come in as a huge gallery and open a big permanent space; that wouldn’t work in Berlin,” says Laura Attanasio, a senior director at Pace. She joined in June 2023 to head up its newly established Berlin office after working as a partner at König, during which time she liaised closely with the Pace artists Elmgreen & Dragset and Alicja Kwade. All of these artists left König’s roster in the wake of multiple accusations of sexual misconduct made against its founder, Johann König, in an article published by the newspaper Die Zeit in 2022 . He denies all accusations. König gallery ceased participating in GWB prior to Die Zeit ’s article.

So, is Pace considering opening a permanent Berlin space down the line? “It’s certainly a possibility,” Attanasio says. “We want to take things slowly and work on a project-based scale for now.” The mega gallery’s encroachment into the once market-averse Berlin comes as the city’s cultural landscape continues to shift due to rapidly rising rents. “Berlin's art scene has been through some rocky times lately,” Attanasio says. “Money came into the city and so many artists left, but not enough money has flowed into Berlin for it to reach a critical mass of big commercial galleries like we are seeing in Paris.”

That shifting balance is being felt over in the Kreuzberg district, where two neighbouring mid-sized galleries, Klemm’s and Soy Capitán, are leaving their current locations after being evicted. Their landlord is selling the building to private real estate developers.

Klemm’s, which has been in its Prinzessinnenstrasse space for a decade, will now shift to larger location in Leipzigerstrasse, south Mitte, next to another GWB participant, Sweetwater. Its inaugural exhibition in the new space is a solo show of sculptures by the German artist Jonas Rossmeisl.

“Finding great spaces for next to nothing in Berlin is not the norm anymore,” says Sebastian Klemm. For this reason, he is particular excited at moving into the gallery's new site, a “voluminous” first-floor space in a GDR-era high rise with a mixed demographic of inhabitants. Reflecting on GWB and its enduring success, Klemm’s business partner, Silvia Bonsiepe, says “State initiatives don’t work in Berlin; it is always private actors that get things done here.”

Meanwhile, Soy Capitán gallery, which was established in 2011, shifts to another location in Kreuzberg, in Lindenstrasse, near another GWB participant, KOW. It is showing early paintings and drawings by the Berlin artist Reinhard Voigt—made between 1969 and 2001. The gallery’s founder, Heike Tosun, says that although she is very attached to the old location, Soy Capitán’s “more prominent new space will hopefully increase the visibility of the gallery and reach a larger audience”.

Molitor gallery, which was established in 2022, is taking part in GWB for the first time this year, showing large abstract paintings by the Berlin-based artist Lisa Jo. And for many out-of-towners, this GWB will be the first opportunity to see Ebensperger gallery's new Kreuzberg space, launched in October 2023, which is located in a former 19th-century gasometer, later used as an air raid shelter during the Second World War. For this weekend only it is staging shows of Gundula Schulze and Franz West sculptures from the Diethardt Collection in Graz, Austria.

It is not just new names mixing things up at GWB—Berlin stalwarts, such as Sprüth Magers, are, too. The gallery is hosting a group show of five East Asian women artists, none of whom are represented by the gallery. They include the rising star Mire Lee, from South Korea, who will be the latest artist to take over Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall this autumn as part of the museum’s Hyundai Commission.

Esther Schipper, meanwhile, presents a show of works by the newly signed artist Julius von Bismarck, themed around wolves and mythology, and inspired by a bronze sculpture of a she-wolf in the Capitoline Museums in Rome. Von Bismarck is also represented by another Berlin gallery, Alexander Levy, which is staging a concurrent and more extensive show of his in its Moabit location.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

A Smooth-Running Gallery Weekend Amid a Shaken Berlin Art Scene

The annual event brings art collectors to the city, but the spirit of freedom that draws artists there has been damaged by the fallout from the Oct. 7 attacks.

By Scott Reyburn

Reporting from Berlin

Berlin’s international reputation as a liberal, relaxed city that nurtures artists’ freedom to express whatever they want is under threat. The art scene here has been roiled by protests, cancellations and boycotts after the Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel, and many artists now say that a climate of fear has replaced the city’s anything-goes vibe.

But at the 20th edition of Gallery Weekend Berlin , the annual showcase for the city’s contemporary art dealerships that concluded Sunday, it was business as usual, with no sign of the clashes that have been shaking the cultural sector.

Those conflicts — between institutions funded by the German government, which has staunchly supported Israel, and artists wishing to show solidarity with Palestinians — were a frequent topic of conversation at the event’s 1,000-guest dinner in the spectacular Neue Nationalgalerie on Saturday. Yet few organizers or participants wanted to discuss the situation in interviews.

“We need to react with intelligence, not emotion,” said Esther Schipper , one of the three dealers who founded Gallery Weekend 20 years ago. Otherwise, like other participating dealers, she declined to comment on the discord in Berlin’s art world.

In 2005, Berlin was the first city to offer a formal program of coordinated gallery shows as an alternative to a commercial art fair. Initially, it featured 21 dealers; this year, there were 55. The idea has caught on and there are now more than 20 gallery weekends scattered across the globe, from Los Angeles to Dublin to Beijing .

Unlike competing art world hubs, such as New York, London and Paris, Berlin doesn’t have any international auction houses or fairs, or a large client base of super-wealthy residents. But according to the city’s Department for Culture and Social Cohesion, it does have an estimated 20,000 professional artists living here. Their creative energy, and that of exhibiting foreign artists, has been a draw for visiting collectors.

“Unlike New York, there’s zero pressure to buy, and you can put together a serious collection for not a lot of money,” the Vancouver-based collector Marshall Webb said of Gallery Weekend. He added that, in his view, the Berlin event remained the pick of the international offerings in this format.

North American accents weren’t heard as often in the participating galleries as in recent years. Dealers said that having the recent preview of the Venice Biennale among this year’s competing attractions had reduced the number of international visitors.

“Wars don’t help,” said Lena Zimmermann, a partner at Galerie Buchholz, which had plenty of foot traffic, albeit mostly German-speaking, on Saturday at an exhibition of photographs by Wolfgang Tillmans , one of Berlin’s local superstar artists.

The show featured more than 70 images, mostly new, including landscape and still-life studies Tillmans made on recent visits to Silicon Valley and Mongolia. Echoing the current experience of many art dealers, Zimmerman said that business for Galerie Buchholz had been “a bit slower since Covid,” but the gallery did sell two large versions of Tillmans’s “San Francisco Still Life,” priced at about $115,000, to American and European collectors, she said.

There were also early sales at a conceptual group show of works by five young Asian women artists at Sprüth Magers. Curated by the gallery’s senior director Shi-Ne Oh, this included a slowly self-destructing concrete wall sculpture by Gala Porras-Kim and an aquarium filled with concrete cactus sculptures by Zhang Ruyi.

“Everyone says it’s a museum show, but people are buying,” Shi-Ne said. About 40 percent of the works sold during Gallery Weekend for prices between 15,000 euros and €150,000, or around $16,000 to $160,000, according to the gallery.

For some international artists who have made their homes in Berlin, the upheavals of the last six months have been difficult to understand. Debates around whether artists should be free to align themselves with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, which Germany’s Parliament has officially designated as antisemitic , had been simmering for years. But since Oct. 7, some artists have said that they lost opportunities at state-funded institutions after expressing simple support for the Palestinian cause.

“I’m from the U.K. It’s been an adjustment for me to realize the German position,” said the artist Angharad Williams, who has been living in Berlin since 2020.

“I’m worried. Many friends have had events canceled. It’s closing down conversations that are important. It feels extremely regressive,” Williams said. “Many artists have told me they’re planning on leaving. Berlin will suffer, and is already,” she added. “I’m scared of expressing my opinions.”

For Gallery Weekend, the up-and-coming dealership Schiefe Zähne (“Crooked Teeth”) was showing new works by Williams in a range of media inspired by what she sees on the streets of today’s Berlin. Large spray-painted panels that memorialize the city’s once-ubiquitous graffiti culture, now threatened by gentrification, were priced around $16,000 each.

Antonia Ruder, Gallery Weekend Berlin’s new director, declined to comment in an interview on the issues fracturing the city’s creative landscape. However, when asked if Berlin’s state government, which is the event’s largest sponsor, had censored any elements of this year’s event, Ruder said: “Totally not. It was never ever a point of discussion.”

Ruder, a former head of communications at Berlin’s Schaubühne theater, said she had no plans to change or expand the 20-year-old event. “The format is still doing very well,” Ruder said. “The art world is changing rapidly,” but Berlin’s gallery scene is “very strong,” she added.

The huge number of artists living in the city is what gives Berlin its strength as an art hub. But with rents soaring as the city becomes ever more gentrified, can Berlin continue to be a magnet for artistic talent if artists don’t feel free to say what they want to say?

Scott Reyburn is a London-based freelance journalist who writes about the art world, artists and their markets. More about Scott Reyburn

Arts and Culture Across Europe

The Venice Biennale, the art world’s most prestigious exhibition, opened recently  to some fanfare, some criticism  and a number of protests . Here’s a look at some of the standouts  from the 2024 edition.

Our theater critics and a reporter discuss the big winne r —  Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard” — and the rest of the honorees at this year’s Olivier Awards .

New productions of “Macbeth” and “Hamlet” in Paris follow a French tradition of adapting familiar works . The results are innovative, and sometimes cryptic.

The internet latched on to 16-year-old Felicia Dawkins’ performance as The Unknown at a shambolic Willy Wonka-inspired event . Now she’s heading to a bigger and scarier stage in London.

When activists urged Tate Britain in London to take an offensive artwork off its walls, the institution commissioned Keith Piper  to create a response instead. The result recently went on display.

At a retrospective of John Singer Sargent’s portraits in London, where the American expatriate fled after creating a scandal in Paris, clothes offer both armor and self-expression .