Embracing Modernism
Prominent modernist works from the Stadtmuseum Berlin’s collection featured at the Berlinische Galerie
The Stadtmuseum Berlin owns outstanding paintings by prominent representatives of classical modernism. Twelve highlights from the Stadtmuseum Berlin’s outstanding collection of paintings by prominent representatives of classical modernism have been on loan at the Berlinische Galerie since October 2022.
Location
Berlinische Galerie
Alte Jakobstraße 124 – 128
10969 Berlin
Entry
10,00 € / 6,00 € (reduced)
Free admission for under 18 years
Opening hours
Wed – Mon | 10 a.m. – 18 p.m.
Tues | closed
Also closed on 24 and 31 December
With the upcoming renovation of the Märkisches Museum, the Stadtmuseum Berlin wanted to ensure that the treasures of its painting collecting would remain available to the public during the four-year closure of its largest exhibition venue. The Stadtmuseum and the Berlinische Galerie jointly came up with the idea of integrating these works into the permanent exhibition “Art in Berlin 1880-1980”.
The selection of paintings from the Stadtmuseum’s collection enter into dialogue with the works from the Berlinische Galerie’s permanent exhibition, offering new parallels and perspectives.
Renowned artists
The paintings currently on display at the Berlinische Galerie are by Max Beckmann, Theo von Brockhusen, Lovis Corinth, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Walter Leistikow, Max Liebermann, Edvard Munch and Lesser Ury. These artists significantly shaped and enriched the city’s art scene in the early 20th century.
Modernism in Berlin
The highlight of the selection is the haunting portrait of industrialist, art collector and politician Walther Rathenau painted by Edvard Munch in 1907. The Norwegian painter’s arrival in Berlin in 1892 marked the beginning of modernism in the city. His exhibition at the Association of Berlin Artists was closed just a few days after its opening when conservative members of the group protested in the strongest terms against his novel painting. Forward-thinking artists like Max Liebermann and Walter Leistikow had joined forces earlier that same year to form the Vereinigung der XI (Association of the XI) with the goal of bringing the latest trends in German art to the Berlin public. The exhibitions put on by this earlier group of modernist artists were also perceived as an affront to the conservative tastes in art in the time of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Members of the Vereinigung der XI would go on to form the Berlin Secession movement in 1898/99. Munch was one of many who regularly took part in their exhibitions.Exhibition Podcast
Thomas Köhler, director of the Berlinische Galerie, talks with Stadtmuseum Director Paul Spies about the idea of shared collections, the challenges of collecting and deaccessioning, and one of his favourite works, now on display at the Berlinische Galerie.
Portraits and self-portraits
In addition to Munch’s portrait of Walther Rathenau, the selection includes several portraits by Lovis Corinth. Prominent social figures such as the influential journalist Alfred Kerr (1907) posed for him, as did his student and later wife Charlotte Berend (1902). She and her husband were members of the Berlin Secession and regularly took part in its exhibitions. The selection from the Stadtmuseum Berlin’s collection also includes outstanding artist self-portraits. From 1900 at the latest, the year that he moved from Munich to Berlin, Corinth painted a self-portrait every year on his birthday.A self-portrait by Max Beckmann (1910/11) shows him at the age of 27. The artist probably painted it in response to a negative exhibition review that appeared in the Berliner Tageblatt in 1910. This is indicated by the newspaper he holds in his hands. His smile appears mocking and self-confident.
Around 1900 Walter Leistikow was one of Berlin’s most sought-after painters. A committed networker, he was a driving force in the city’s avant-garde art scene. His landscape paintings in particular, such as “Abendstimmung am Schlachtensee” (ca. 1895), represented a new, modern approach to art. Like the Impressionists, Leistikow often painted directly in front of his subjects, mostly in the Berlin countryside with its numerous lakes.
plein air painting
Max Liebermann’s “Boys Bathing” featured in the second exhibition of the Berlin Secession and was praised for the vividness of its depiction. Liebermann’s plein air painting inspired Theo von Brockhusen, whose motifs from 1908/09 onwards focused on the charming Havel landscape around Baumgartenbrück on the Schwielowsee. One such work was the painting “Wind an der Havel” (ca. 1914), which reveals his deep affinity with the work of Vincent van Gogh.
Nollendorfplatz
Nollendorfplatz was the subject of cityscapes painted by several artists. During the winter months of the years 1910 to 1914, the artist Max Beckmann lived at Nollendorfplatz 6 with his wife Minna Beckmann-Tube. His studio window looked out onto the northwestern end of the square. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s rendition of Nollendorfplatz was painted in 1912. The Expressionist and founding member of the artist group “Brücke” moved from Dresden to Berlin in 1911. His reactions to the metropolis were expressed in numerous street scenes. In contrast to Kirchner’s expressionist work, Lesser Ury’s 1925 “Bahnhof Nollendorfplatz bei Nacht” remains entirely committed to Impressionism. Prior to 1900, Ury was already well known for his atmospheric night scenes.Die Künstler
- Max Beckmann (1884 Leipzig – 1950 New York)
- Theo von Brockhusen (1882 Marggrabowa, now Olecko, Poland – 1919 Berlin)
- Lovis Corinth (1858 Tapiau, East Prussia, now Gwardeisk, Russia – 1925 Zandvoort)
- Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880 Aschaffenburg – 1938 Davos)
- Walter Leistikow (1865 Bromberg, now Bydgoszcz, Poland – 1908 Berlin)
- Max Liebermann (1847 Berlin – 1935 Berlin)
- Edvard Munch (1863 Løten – 1944 Oslo)
- Lesser Ury (1861 Birnbaum, now Międzychód, Poland – 1931 Berlin)
Info & Service
Opening Hours
Wed – Mon | 10 a.m. – 18 p.m.
Tues | closed
Also closed on 24 and 31 December
Directions
Berlinische Galerie
Alte Jakobstraße 124 – 128
10969 Berlin
Contact
+49 30-789 02-600
+49 30-789 02-700
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Tickets
Entry
10,00 € / 6,00 € (reduced)