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New National Gallery at the Berlin Kulturforum: Art again soon in the Mies van der Rohe building
Photo: Christophe Gateau / picture alliance / dpa
The low-rise building made of steel with its large glass fronts is the epitome of modern building.
It was designed by the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe - originally as an administration building for Bacardi.
But since the late sixties, the New National Gallery in Berlin has housed art of the 20th century.
After five years of renovation, the museum has now announced that it will reopen on August 21.
The manager Joachim Jäger announced on Friday in Berlin.
The keys are to be handed over to the State Museums in Berlin in April.
The »Berliner Zeitung« reported that the move in of art and an open day had already been planned for April.
Now it became August.
The temporary home for the art of classical modernism was the “Neue Galerie” in the Hamburger Bahnhof when it was closed.
Large parts of the Nationalgalerie's collection were also on view abroad and in other German cities.
At the Hamburger Bahnhof, the location for contemporary art of the Nationalgalerie, the director Gabriele Knapstein has not yet given up the fight for the Rieckhallen.
For several years now, the site and building have belonged to the private investor CA Immo, who wants to demolish the halls.
As a result, the Nationalgalerie has already lost the »Flick Collection«.
Without the Rieckhallen, Knapstein sees the development opportunities of the Hamburger Bahnhof at risk.
Knapstein and Jäger as well as the director of the Alte Nationalgalerie, Ralph Gleis, announced that they would like to apply for the new director posts of the three areas of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.
With the new structure, the higher-level director post that Udo Kittelmann held until his departure at the end of October will no longer apply.
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cpa / dpa