PreviewExhibitions
From art that's barely there to Alicja Kwade’s heart: what to see at Berlin Art Week
The German capital is awash with exhibitions, performances and events after a quieter edition last year
NewsAppointments
Klaus Biesenbach named director of Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie
Hamburger Bahnhof contemporary museum is to be led by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath
ReviewExhibitions
The Big Review: Terrible Beauty: Elephant—Human—Ivory at Humboldt Forum
The first exhibition at the controversial new museum complex in Berlin unflinchingly confronts a controversial subject
BlogDiary
Kanye West spotted on a secretive art tour in Berlin—but what works caught his eye?
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Mies van der Rohe's landmark Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin ready for reopening after 'surgery' by David Chipperfield
Architect's Modernist masterpiece was “incredibly badly built” and took six years and €140m to restore to its former glory
NewsHumboldt Forum
Humboldt Forum opens in Berlin—finally for real
After almost two years of delays, the ambitious museum complex launches its first in-person exhibitions
PreviewExhibitions
The best art day trips you can take from Berlin, London and New York
From crumbling castles to beach huts and giant chalk drawings on the English coast, there's no need for PCR tests if you live near these local gems
NewsBenin Bronzes
Berlin museums board agrees to relinquish Benin bronzes 'regardless of how they were acquired'
The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation aims for the first restitutions to Nigeria next year, requests “detailed timetable” for negotiations
NewsGermany
German parliament’s “emergency brake” closes Kusama show, threatens Gallery Weekend
Measures to counter the third wave of the pandemic force museums in high-incidence areas to close
InterviewExhibitions
Humboldt Forum to show Britain’s 1897 violence and plunder in Benin exhibition next year
The exhibition will include around half of Berlin’s collection of Benin bronzes as Germany lays groundwork to return them to Nigeria
NewsMuseums
Gerhard Richter to loan Holocaust works—that he vowed never to sell—to new Berlin museum
Loan of over 100 works to future museum of Modern art encompasses Richter’s Birkenau series, the fruit of a decades-long quest for an artistic response to the Holocaust
NewsArt market
Berlin dealer Johann König opens new space in Seoul
Opening next month, the new space will include a sculpture garden on a roof terrace
ReviewVideo, film & new media
Photographs taken by Nazi camp prisoners remind us of the horrors of the Holocaust in new documentary at Berlin Film Festival
The virtual programme also included features on Tsarist Russian fashion and robot love in the Pergamon Museum
NewsBerlin
Will this notorious Nazi 'love nest' turn into an artists' utopia?
Proposed plans aim to convert Joseph Goebbels' summer retreat into artists studios, communal living spaces and a museum of tolerance
NewsArchitecture
Berlin’s residents rally to save city’s Brutalist building that was once a laboratory for animal experiments
Thousands signed petition to protect bleak concrete structure—nicknamed the Mouse Bunker—from demolition
NewsHumboldt Forum
What exactly is the Humboldt Forum?
From the building, to the name and the cost, we bring you the Berlin art complex in a nutshell
NewsHumboldt Forum
Humboldt Forum: the empire strikes back?
The imperial origins and plundered artefacts of the Berlin art complex seem out of place in today’s Germany
NewsMuseums
Smithsonian and Berlin museums join forces to investigate Asian art provenance
The programme includes webinars examining dealers and collectors
NewsPerformance art
Popular apocalyptic beach performance from 2019's Venice Biennale will pop up in Berlin Bauhaus swimming pool
Sun & Sea (Marina) won the Golden Lion for Lithuania
NewsMuseums
Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie to open after six-year renovation with Calder exhibition
Mies van der Rohe’s steel-and-glass building is undergoing modernisation by David Chipperfield, including new air-conditioning, security, lighting and visitor facilities
NewsMuseums
Attacker sprays oil in Berlin museums, damaging sarcophagi, sculptures and frames
Sixty-three objects were sprayed with an oily liquid on 3 October at the Pergamon, Neues Museum and Alte Nationalgalerie
NewsArt education
European academies issue joint manifesto to protect freedom of arts
Signatories of the “Berlin Manifesto” include the Académie française and Arts Council England. It has been endorsed by Wim Wenders, Ken Loach and A. L. Kennedy among others
NewsMuseums
Berlin’s Humboldt Forum to open in phases beginning in December
Plans include a show about ivory and a “critical approach” to colonial legacies
NewsPrizes
Cameroonian curator Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung awarded Berlin's highest state award
Ndikung, who founded Berlin art space SAVVY Contemporary, dedicated The Order of Merit of Berlin award to the "displaced people of Anglophone Cameroon"
ReviewExhibitions
Three exhibitions to see in Berlin this weekend
From Olafur Eliasson's perception-altering lights to Émilie Pitoiset's surveillance capitalism dance marathon
NewsDiscoveries
Sculpture by Arno Breker—one of Hitler’s favourite artists—found buried in Berlin museum garden
Missing for 75 years, the large marble head, one of the artist's best-known works, was uncovered by chance during construction work at Kunsthaus Dahlem
NewsPrussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
Meet the man overhauling Berlin's 'dysfunctional' museums in wake of bombshell report
Head of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, Hermann Parzinger, responds to an expert panel’s call to dismantle Germany’s biggest arts body
NewsObituaries
Erich Marx, Berlin collector and patron, dies age 99
His collection of works by Warhol, Twombly, Beuys and Kiefer is on long-term loan to the Berlin museums
NewsContemporary art
Berlin Art Week: shows in disused airports and nightclubs defy gloomy predictions
From Berghain's lockdown exhibition to the Brücke Museum's Vivian Suter display, here's what to see in the reigning contemporary art hub this week
PreviewExhibitions
Art historian Aby Warburg’s groundbreaking image atlas reunited in Berlin after nearly a century
The Bilderatlas Mnemosyne—once derided by Ernst Gombrich—will appear in its fullest form since Warburg's final presentation
NewsRestitution
Berlin returns tattooed Maori heads to New Zealand
Human remains in museums have attracted widespread criticism
NewsArtists
Alison Jacques 'removes all trace' of late photographer Saul Fletcher—and calls on art world to follow lead
Respected London gallerist says “it's not ok to continue to promote his work” in wake of Fletcher’s killing of the curator Rebeccah Blum prior to his own suicide
NewsExhibitions
Berghain—Berlin’s exclusive nightclub—to transform into huge art venue during pandemic
“Studio Berlin” offers a way to circumvent the toughest door policy in the world and see works by Olafur Eliasson, Wolfgang Tillmans and Anne Imhof
NewsObituaries
'Remember her name and nobody else's': shock at suspected murder of curator Rebeccah Blum
Artist Saul Fletcher—who is believed to have committed suicide at Blum's country home—killed her in his Berlin flat where her body was found
NewsMuseums
Panel recommends dissolution of 'dysfunctional' Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
With 2,000 employees, the foundation is the biggest arts employer in Germany
NewsMuseums
German government seeks to buy Hamburger Bahnhof museum from investor
Move means the venue can continue to operate as Berlin’s main contemporary art museum
NewsArt market
Berlin dealer Johann König stages impromptu 'fair' to coincide with original Art Basel dates in June
"People are hungry for art in the original and the online viewing room can’t replace the personal experience,” the dealer says
NewsPublic art
Sculpture confronting Germany's colonial past installed at Berlin’s long-awaited Humboldt Forum
Kang Sunkoo’s bronze Statue of Limitations shows a black flag at half-mast
NewsBerlin
As one private collector shuts down Berlin space, Julia Stoschek threatens to follow
Closure of Thomas Olbricht’s Me Collectors Room comes after collector Friedrich Christian Flick’s announcement he is ending his museum loan
BlogDiary
Game, set and match: Elmgreen & Dragset bring bittersweet sporty work to Berlin
NewsPrivate collections
Berlin museums announce ‘painful’ end to loan of 'one of the world’s most outstanding contemporary art collections'
Prestigious private Flick collection, including works by Giacometti, Duchamp and Bruce Nauman, has been on loan to Berlin for 17 years
NewsMuseums
Fire breaks out at Berlin’s Humboldt Forum
Fire service says one person was injured in the blaze caused by a gas cylinder exploding
Newscoronavirus
Majority of Berlin artists worried they can't pay rent due to coronavirus, survey finds
German government has introduced emergency measures to support the creative industry
Newscoronavirus
Berlin museums will close to stem spread of coronavirus
Culture ministers from the 16 states to meet today to discuss their response to the virus
NewsBerlin Gallery Weekend
Berlin Gallery Weekend downsizes for now—but launches second edition in September
The collaborative event is also planning to launch an event to replace the recently cancelled Art Berlin fair
NewsHumboldt Forum
Goethe Institute teams up with Berlin's Humboldt Forum
Joint projects will include exhibitions, exchanges and education programs focussed on post-colonialism and sustainability
NewsAi Weiwei
Ai Weiwei's censored films to go on show in Berlin
The works cannot be shown in China where the dissident artist says his identity has been erased
NewsSculpture Park
Sculpture park to show works by Ai Weiwei and Hans Arp at castle outside Berlin
Established by the founders of the Institute for Artists Estates, Loretta Würtenberger and Daniel Tümpel, the display will open in May at Schlossgut Schwante
NewsEast German art
Arseholes or artists? How East German art is becoming a new collecting frontier
As a cache of communist pieces stored near Beeskow castle for 25 years is being rehabilitated, the market for such work is growing
NewsRestitution
Berlin restitutes painting to heirs of 'degenerate' artist for the first time
A portrayal of Lot by Hans Baldung Grien was sold to the Gemäldegalerie in 1937 by Hans Purrmann
NewsArt market
Art Berlin is scrapped due to venue uncertainty and lack of profits
Organiser of German fair describes cancellation as "regrettable"
NewsConservation & Preservation
Looted in Germany by Stalin’s brigades, a restored goddess goes on view at the Hermitage
Bronze sculpture gets new wings in a collaboration with Berlin’s Antikensammlung
NewsControversies
Art activists anger Holocaust survivors with Berlin monument containing ashes
Centre for Political Beauty says action targets conservatives open to allying with far right
NewsDiscoveries
Artist's signature and thumbprint among discoveries in Pieter de Hooch paintings
Revelations were made during research for the largest retrospective of the Dutch painter's work in the Netherlands
NewsJewish Museum Berlin
Hetty Berg is appointed new director of Jewish Museum Berlin
She will take over the German institution following the controversial departure of Peter Schäfer last June
NewsBerlin
New Berlin foundation turns AI into immersive art
Light Art Space wants visitors to understand the world through a computer’s eyes
NewsMuseums
German parliament approves extra costs for Berlin Museum of the 20th Century
The €364m budget is “a real pain threshold,” culture minister says
AnalysisFrom the archive
Notes from a demolition: five works about the Wall in Berlin collections
From Frank Thiel's Stadt to Tacita Dean's Palast, some of the best works about the Wall and life in Berlin after reunification
AnalysisFrom the archive
Since the fall of the Wall, Berlin has established itself as the artists' capital
Despite not being rich, the city has a large percentage of professional creatives and a booming gallery scene
NewsArt market
Brafa to auction section of the Berlin Wall for charity
Five graffitied segments were bought by the non-profit Brussels art fair last year and will be exhibited at the event next year
NewsMuseums
Costs soar for Berlin’s planned Museum of the 20th Century
New estimate puts potential cost at €450m versus previous estimate of €200m
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Kaiser's heir angers German public over huge restitution claims
Demands by the emperor's great-great grandson for the return of thousands of works from two German states threatens the future of at least two museums
NewsGermany
Berlin celebrates fall of the wall with art installations, projections and an app
A week-long festival for the 30th anniversary includes a banner of messages floating near the Brandenburg Gate
ArchiveMuseums & Heritage
Decorative arts from Art Nouveau and Deco to Werkbund, Bauhaus and Functionalism
Another floor opens up in the Bröhan Museum with its privately formed collection
News
Jewish Museum Berlin director steps down after a tweet misfires
Germany’s Council of Jews said Peter Schäfer “lost the trust of the Jewish community”
NewsHumboldt Forum
Humboldt Forum opening delayed until 2020
The opening festivities were to begin this year, but the final stage of construction is behind schedule
ReviewThree to see
Three exhibitions to see in Berlin this weekend
From Julian Charrière’s deep dive into the Anthropocene to Bernar Venet’s enormous ropes of rolled steel
NewsVideo, film & new media
Berlin collector turns Nazi-era Luftwaffe building into home for video art
Software entrepreneur Markus Hannebauer opens Fluentum to the public with Dutch artist Guido van der Werve
News
Berlinische Galerie forced to close suddenly because of structural problems
“Safety comes first,” the building’s manager says
NewsBerlin Gallery Weekend 2019
Too white and male? Not for long. Berlin Gallery Weekend director responds to criticism over lack of female artists
Maike Cruse says gender split at event will hopefully diminish in the next five years as many emerging artists are female
News
Angela Merkel to open James Simon Galerie in Berlin
The entrance building to Museum Island is the German capital’s answer to the Louvre Pyramid
NewsSyria
Berlin's Pergamonmuseum reveals the crowdsourced archive preserving Syria's war-torn heritage
New exhibition presents documents that lay the foundations for reconstruction of Aleppo and other sites ruined by civil war
NewsBiennials & festivals
Block Universe performance festival expands to Berlin power station
New 350 sq. m contemporary art space E-Werk Luckenwalde has joined the programme for the event's fifth anniversary
NewsCensorship
Ai Weiwei’s contribution to Berlin movie scrapped amid censorship fears
“It was infuriating to find our involvement had been erased,” Ai says
NewsGalerie Bastian
Galerie Bastian opens new venues in London and Berlin
Former David Chipperfield-designed premises has been donated to Berlin's heritage foundation
NewsExhibitions
Berlin's 200-year-old replica workshop finds a niche at new Museum Island hub
First-ever exhibition on the Gipsformerei, which copies works for museums and Jeff Koons, will open the James Simon Gallery next summer
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Berlin’s Natural History Museum receives an eye-watering €660m of public funds for rebuild
Vast sum outstrips budget for reconstruction of city’s royal palace and creation of Humboldt Forum
Interview
Neil MacGregor: why the Humboldt Forum is ‘an amazing opportunity to attract new audiences’
The former British Museum director, who steered the project for three years, discusses its Enlightenment roots and ambition to engage a wider public
InterviewHumboldt Forum
Berlin's Humboldt Forum: how its director plans to confront Germany’s colonial past
Hartmut Dorgerloh says institution will discuss presentation of non-Western art “together with critical friends and the communities”
FeatureGermany
'Poor but sexy' no more: property boom drives out Berlin's artists
The German capital once attracted talent from across the world with its cheap rents, but gentrification is making an exodus already seen in London and New York
NewsArt fairs
Art Berlin's debut in former Tempelhof airport is a homegrown hit
Galleries and collectors praised fair's new location but visitors remain largely German
NewsArt market
‘Oversaturated’ Berlin loses two more galleries
Exile gallery has moved to Vienna, while Gillmeier Rech closes
News
Deutsche Bank opens Berlin palace fit for its vast art collection
The Palais Populaire will be a permanent exhibition space for the bank's 55,000 works
NewsThree to see
Three exhibitions to see during Berlin Art Week
From Candice Breitz’s triptych about sex workers to Christiane Möbus’s petrified wood auction in the city’s oldest church
NewsBerlin
Ambitious project to build replica Berlin Wall blocked by city authorities
Russia film-maker Ilya Khrzhanovsky’s giant installation based on 700 hours of film faces insurmountable bureaucratic hurdles
PreviewExhibitions
Berlin blockbuster: from the world's oldest figurative art to sculptures bombed during the war
Survey at Martin-Gropius-Bau boasts a staggering 1,000 exhibits discovered over the past 20 years in Germany
NewsPerformance art
Berlin Wall may be resurrected—and then demolished—as part of anniversary of reunification
Organisers of the culture festival Berliner Festspiele are in talks with city authorities and are yet to confirm the event
PreviewExhibitions
Playtime: how artists have been unleashing their inner child this summer
From superhero action figures to Chianti-infused treasure hunts and poolside art, exhibitions are exploring the importance of play
NewsConservation & Preservation
Berlin restores murals neglected for more than a century
Only ten of the wall paintings—created in housing complexes to offer visual relief from the booming German capital—remain
NewsDonations
Saudi Arabian foundation donates €9m to Berlin Museum of Islamic Art
Funds donated by Alwaleed Philanthropies will support exhibitions and education, including “Multaka” project to train refugees as museum guides
FeatureArtist interview
Trevor Paglen lets you view the world as the machines see it
Ahead of his retrospective at Washington, DC's Smithsonian American Art Museum, the artist discusses his interest in the social and political implications of technologies, including mass surveillance systems and artificial intelligence
NewsOpenings
Deutsche Bank to open Berlin art centre Palais Populaire in September
First exhibition will show around 300 works on paper from the bank’s vast corporate collection
News
German museum and auctioneer Im Kinsky tussle over looted glass goblet
Object was returned to consigner not museum from where it was looted at the end of Second World War
PreviewExhibitions
From Riga to Los Angeles, biennials are searching for answers in troubled times
Manifesta 12, Made in LA, Riboca and the tenth Berlin Biennale explore whether art can make a difference in a rapidly changing world
News
Martin-Gropius-Bau show to mark 30 years since fall of the Berlin Wall
Exhibition next autumn will explore German unification in a global context
NewsLooted art
Berlin’s Ethnological Museum returns Alaskan grave artefacts looted by explorer
The objects “do not belong in our museums”, says the president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
CommentHumboldt Forum
'Humboldt Forum must have a clear policy that only objects of proper provenance can be used'
The question of restitution as well as a new order of north-south relations should be top of the agenda, says George Abungu an international adviser to the project
George Abungu