The Hamburger Bahnhof is reinaugurating the Rieckhallen with part 2 of the collection presentation, which uses around 20 works from the last 25 years to pose questions about the future of a museum for contemporary art.
The Nationalgalerie's collection of contemporary art focuses on large-scale sculptures and installations as well as media art; these works, along with new ones, will be presented to the public, researched, communicated and preserved for future generations in the space of the Rieckhallen, which were secured for the long term in 2022. On display will be sculptural works by Elmgreen & Dragset, Anne Imhof and Cevdet Erek as well as light and media artworks by Maurizio Nannucci and Jeremy Shaw.
The questions and perspectives through which art is viewed change from one decade to the next, from generation to generation. Just as the collection and the program of a museum change, so do expectations of the institution, with visitors of all ages and backgrounds coming to the museum every day. What should and what can a museum do in and for the 21st century? How do works of art negotiate cultural histories, art histories and societal developments? Who selects them and whose stories become visible? How does the museum open up to its neighborhood? What relevance does an art collection have for society? The exhibition, which spans around 1,500 square meters, builds on the collection exhibition Nationalgalerie. A Collection for the 21st Century, opened in Summer 2023, which focuses on the art and history of Berlin after the fall of the Wall.
A permanent exhibition of the Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Housed in a former railway station, the Hamburger Bahnhof is the third location of Berlin's Nationalgalerie. Following extensive renovations the museum was opened in 1996 with a focus on art since 1960. The museum is distinguished by its holdings of seminal 20th Century artists including John Cage, Bill Viola, Peter Campus, Wolf Vostell, Rebecca Horn, Carolee Schneeman, Reinhard Mucha, Marcel Broodthaers, Fritz Rahmann, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Johan Grimonprez and Aernout Mik.
In 2002, the collection was enlarged significantly by the acquisition of Egidio Marzona's study collection of Conceptual Art and Arte Povera. It is also home to the Joseph Beuys Media Archive. In 2004 the museum was further extended to house the Friedrich Christian Flick collection of contemporary art which includes a large and virtually unique collection of works by Bruce Nauman. The collection is also renowned for its holdings of German painting including works by influential artists such as Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, Georg Baselitz and also younger painters including, Neo Rauch, Daniel Richter and Belgian artist Luc Tuymans.
