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Neue Nationalgalerie

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View of the Neue Nationalgalerie.
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In the exhibition hall of the Neue Nationalgalerie, a font installation by artist Barbara Kruger can be seen covering the entire floor. (Archive)
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Visitors sit in the Neue Nationalgalerie in the exhibition "Sascha Wiederhold. Rediscovery of a forgotten artist" in front of the work "Figures in Space" (1928). (Archive)
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The musician Älice performs in the sculpture garden of the Neue Nationalgalerie as part of the "Sound in the Garden" concert series. (Archive)

The Neue Nationalgalerie’s imposing steel and glass box near Potsdamer Platz is a mecca for lovers of contemporary art and architecture.

The collection focuses on works by Cubist, Expressionist, Bauhaus and Surrealist artists. Works by Picasso, Gris, Leger and Laurens show the development of Cubist art. Among the works exhibited in the Neue Nationalgalerie are works by artists such as Kirchner, Picasso, Klee, Feininger, Dix and Kokoschka.

Art of Expressionism, Bauhaus, New Objectivity and the post-war period

Expressionism is represented by works by Kirchner, Schmidt-Rottluff and Heckel. The centerpieces of the collection include eleven paintings by Max Beckmann, which he created between 1906 and 1942. Surrealist painting is represented by artists such as Ernst, Dalí and Miró. Otto Dix and George Grosz document the direction of Verism and New Objectivity with their paintings. The Bauhaus school is represented by works by its teachers Klee and Kandinsky. One of the highlights is American painting of the sixties and seventies with the abstract color fields and spaces of Frank Stella and Ellsworth Kelly.

Architect Mies van der Rohe: Less is more

The architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe died shortly after the Neue Nationalgalerie opened. The building is therefore regarded as the architect's legacy thanks to its minimalist architecture. Mies van der Rohe's motto - less is more - is evident in the characteristic steel roof and the glass upper hall. The flowing, open space offers visitors a special ambience for viewing art.