2016 - News - Detail Page - Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz

SPK President Marion Ackermann has presented the highlights of the 2026 exhibition calendar together with the museum directors and curators of the SPK museums. "Bringing people together in exhibitions and providing them with formative experiences or profound insights is a central mission of the foundation. My aim is to ensure that we reach more visitors with our programme. In the coming year, there will not only be high-calibre special exhibitions, but also projects that have been created through networking and consolidation within the SPK cosmos. That is precisely our strength."

The programme presentation took place in the Alte Nationalgalerie, which will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of its foundation next year. On this occasion, the focus of the second year of the Museum Island anniversary will also be on the museum, which is planning numerous events and exhibitions - including "Cassirer and the Breakthrough of Impressionism", a look back at the work of the famous art dealer Paul Cassirer (1871-1926), who played a decisive role in the breakthrough of French Impressionism in Germany with his gallery. Annette Hüsch, Director of the Alte Nationalgalerie, explains: "Paul Cassirer was a key figure of his time and made artists such as Cézanne, Degas, Monet, Renoir, Manet and Vincent van Gogh known here for the first time, but also championed German Impressionism, the Berlin Secession and the avant-garde." Thanks to Cassirer, numerous important works by these artists found their way into German collections, including those of the Nationalgalerie. The exhibition shows Paul Cassirer's impressive commitment to art with over 100 works of Impressionism and classical modernism.

The Centre Pompidou from Paris will be visiting Berlin in the spring. In cooperation with the world-famous exhibition centre, which is currently being renovated, the Neue Nationalgalerie is showing a large-scale solo exhibition of the French sculptor Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957). It is the first comprehensive exhibition of the exceptional artist's work in Germany for over 50 years. It is being organised under the joint patronage of the two heads of state Emanuel Macron and Frank-Walter Steinmeier. On display are major works such as "The Kiss", "Bird in Space", "Slumbering Muse" and "Infinite Column". "We will also be setting up a partial reconstruction of Brancusi's famous studio in the upper hall of the Neue Nationalgalerie. It was given to the French state in 1957 and can now be seen outside Paris for the first time," says Klaus Biesenbach, Director of the Neue Nationalgalerie. With over 150 sculptures, photographs, films and previously unseen archive material from the Centre Pompidou as well as from other private and public international collections, the exhibition presents the most comprehensive overview to date of the multifaceted work of one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century.

The Hamburger Bahnhof is dedicating a solo exhibition to the important French conceptual artist Sophie Calle, which opens on the anniversary weekend in November from 13 to 15 November 2026. Sophie Calle's exhibition shows works that were created in Berlin as well as works that refer to the museum's history as a railway station. It will be complemented by a new work of art that was created when the museum was founded and is now being redesigned as a commission for the collection to mark its 30th anniversary. "For its 30th anniversary, Hamburger Bahnhof is opening up even more to its public," say directors Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath. "We are celebrating Berlin as a diverse city of art that sets global trends. As the Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, we would like to welcome everyone to celebrate with us for a whole year."

A spectacular exhibition on the life and work of Genghis Khan will come to the James-Simon-Galerie from the end of 2026. 2027 marks the 800th anniversary of the death of the legendary founder of the Mongolian empire. To mark the occasion, from the end of 2026, the exhibition in the James Simon Gallery will shed light on the little-known world of the Mongols in this country with high-ranking exhibits from a millennium of nomadic equestrian life in unprecedented diversity. Matthias Wemhoff, Director of the Museum of Prehistory and Early History, says: "We can show archaeological treasures from Mongolia here, many of which have never been seen in an exhibition outside the country before! They provide unique insights into the 'Mongolian Century', which changed the world between 1250 and 1350. This has more to do with today's world than we can imagine." The exhibition "Genghis Khan - The World of the Mongols" will also be enriched by loans from the Berlin State Library and the collections of the National Museums in Berlin. For example, parts of the unique ceramic interior of the Mongolian summer palace in Tacht-e Suleyman in Iran, which are part of the holdings of the Museum of Islamic Art, will be on display.

The Museum of the Ancient Near East's exhibition on Göbeklitepe and its surroundings, which can be seen from February, goes back even further in time: 12,000 years ago, long before the pyramids were built, the first sedentary communities created monumental works of art and buildings there. The unique monumental buildings with fantastic larger-than-life sculptures have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2018. The exhibition in the James-Simon-Galerie shows works of art, everyday objects and jewellery that tell the story of how people lived together during this upheaval in human history. Archaeological finds and architectural reconstructions are complemented by contemporary photographic interpretations. Barbara Helwing, Director of the Vorderasiatisches Museum, says: "The exhibits bear witness to the complex spiritual world of early sedentary cultures. In the context of rituals and festivals, they contributed to the affirmation and organisation of communities. A vibrant community was key to the survival and resilience of early sedentary cultures." The exhibition was developed in collaboration with the ŞanliurfaArchaeological Museum and the Taş Tepeler research project at Istanbul University. The accompanying programme will also deliberately address the Turkish community in Berlin.

In addition to major international projects, the 2026 exhibition programme also stands for cross-collection work. From November 2026, the sculpture collection will be dedicated to a theme that has permeated art and life since antiquity: music, music-making and instruments. The intervention "Sounding Bodies - Variations on an Artistic Theme" , developed in collaboration with the Hamburger Bahnhof - Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart and the Musical Instrument Museum of the Staatliches Institut für MusikforschungIt follows the common thread of the instruments played by mythological figures, angels and mythical creatures in the Bode Museum. In doing so, she also creates unusual and exciting confrontations that open up new perspectives. What, for example, connects the synthesisers of the early 1970s in East and West Germany with the angel orchestra of the Minden Altarpiece? To what rhythm would Donatello's "Putto with Tambourine" or Canova's "Dancer" take up the beat today? Audio samples and instruments staged as works of art broaden the view. "This extremely enriching collaboration with the Hamburger Bahnhof and the Museum of Musical Instruments will create a sensual interplay of form, sound and movement in the magnificent setting of the Bode Museum," explains Antje Scherner, Director of the Sculpture Collection and Museum of Byzantine Art.

The Gemäldegalerie will also be presenting the works from its internationally outstanding portrait collection in new contexts this autumn with the major special exhibition "Portraits! Surprising Encounters from Botticelli to Lempicka", it tells stories about staging, external and self-perception and explores themes such as beauty, power and identity. Numerous loans from other museums of the Foundation, from the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection to the New National Gallery, complement masterpieces by Dürer, Holbein, Rembrandt and Titian. Extraordinary juxtapositions, such as works by Sandro Botticelli and Tamara de Lempicka, reveal astonishing similarities across the centuries. With the question of how people wanted to be seen at different times and how we see ourselves, the exhibition also invites us to reflect on our contemporary visual world. "How do we construct identity in the age of selfies and social media? How do we read faces and what does this reveal about ourselves? The 'Portraits' exhibition encourages playful and associative reflection on these questions," says Dagmar Hirschfelder, Director of the Gemäldegalerie.

And once again Kulturforum: Everyone knows Verner Panton. Power, pop and polymers are three key words that characterise the 1960s (geänd. 29.01.26). But they are also characterised by technological euphoria, an optimistic belief in the future and rebellion against convention. All these themes are reflected - more clearly than in any other - in the work of Danish architect and designer Verner Panton (1926-1998). The Kunstgewerbemuseum is organising a comprehensive retrospective to mark the centenary of his birth. The armchairs, lamps and textiles are far more than just iconic furniture: they embody an attitude to life that is inextricably linked to the upheaval of those years. The era of the "parlour" was over, pop was moving into living rooms. Confidence and hedonism can be found in all the colours, shapes and rooms he designed. Sibylle Hoiman, Director of the Museum of Decorative Arts: "Panton's living landscapes are a sensual overall experience that extends from the carpet and furniture to the ceiling and lighting design. In our exhibition, we take you on a sensual journey into these living utopias." At the same time, the exhibition addresses questions relating to plastic: What does furniture made from synthetic materials mean in times of environmental pollution and climate change? What conservation measures need to be taken in order to preserve and display the objects in the museum?

Berlin itself will also be the focus of the programme, for example with an exciting exhibition on the city's press history. For over a century, the press has reflected the rhythm of the metropolis: its dynamism, its contradictions, its insatiable hunger for stories - and above all for images. In the 1920s, up to 147 daily newspapers were published in Berlin - some twice a day. Handy cameras and faster printing processes revolutionised press work and shaped the beginnings of illustrated journalism. They gave rise to a new profession: press photography. The special exhibition "In the rhythm of the big city - 100 years of photography and the press in Berlin" tells the story of the press capital from the perspective of the photographers and their work between objectivity and staging, technical skill and artistic intuition. With historical photographs from the bpk photo archive, newspapers from the Stabi collection and contemporary works by photographers from the renowned OSTKREUZ agency, it becomes clear how the visual language of press photography changes and yet always remains an expression of urban life. Achim Bonte, Director General of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin: "The exhibition at the Stabi Kulturwerk impressively demonstrates the diversity, dynamism and history of Berlin press photography and emphasises the special significance of the medium of photography within our collections. It is also part of the further development of our image archive, which we want to make even more accessible and comprehensive for research in the future and link more closely with our outstanding historical newspaper and magazine holdings."

Berlin was not only the press capital - music also played and still plays an important role in the city. The Musical Instrument Museum of the State Institute for Music Research is devoting itself to music with "Music on Demand. Records, cassettes, streaming!" is dedicated to the question of how we listen to music when it is not played live. Around 700 million people a month now use the streaming service Spotify, which was founded 20 years ago. To mark this anniversary, as well as the 140th anniversary of the gramophone (1887) and the 150th anniversary of the phonograph (1877), the special exhibition tells the story of music recording and reproduction from its material manifestations - wax cylinders, shellac and vinyl records, cassettes and CDs - to its apparent "dissolution" into digital formats such as MP3 and streaming services. Emanuele Marconi, Director of the Musical Instrument Museum, explains: "In addition to presenting recording and playback technologies, the exhibition also explores the impact of recorded music on society and the performance practice of music." An extensive educational programme accompanies the exhibition, which runs from December 2026.

Traditional costumes are back in vogue, telling of culture and history, but also of individual lives. Heavy stuff. Women - traditional costumes - life storiesbuilds bridges between tradition and modernity, ideology and reality, between past and present textile upcycling. The exhibition at the Museum of European Cultures in Dahlem presents the most valuable objects of women's and girls' clothing from 1880 to 1990 from the textile collection of the Danube Swabian Central Museum in Ulm. Bright colours on a golden background meet deep black bridal wear, sensual experience meets hard everyday life. Danube Swabians are the descendants of German-speaking emigrants who settled in the Kingdom of Hungary from the late 17th to the 19th century. Their traditional costumes provide surprising insights into the lives of women and girls. "The Danube Swabian world was narrow because it was governed by village and church rules, but at the same time broad because it offered the diversity of a multicultural society," explains Elisabeth Tietmeyer, Director of the MEK. Each of the traditional costumes on display tells something about individual, female life stories and at the same time provides information about the history of the Danube Swabians through the ages. The exhibition was developed at the Danube Swabian Central Museum in Ulm and is now being shown at the MEK in Berlin with the support of the "Coordination for East Central and South Eastern Europe".

Exhibition data and press material:

Built Community. Göbeklitepe, Taş Tepeler and life 12,000 years ago
6. February 2026 - 26 July 2026; James-Simon-Galerie
https://www.smb.museum/presse/pressemitteilungen/detail/museumsinsel-berlin-sonderausstellungsprogramm-2026/

Constantin Brancusi
20. March 2026 - 9 August 2026; New National Gallery
https://www.smb.museum/presse/pressemitteilungen/detail/neue-nationalgalerie-brancusi-203-982026/

Heavy fabric. Women - Costumes - Life Stories
24. April 2026 - 29 March 2027; Museum of European Cultures
https://www.smb.museum/presse/pressemitteilungen/detail/museum-europaeischer-kulturen-schwerer-stoff-frauen-trachten-lebensgeschichten-24-april-2026-29-maerz-2027/

Cassirer and the breakthrough of Impressionism
22. May 2026 - 27 September 2026; Alte Nationalgalerie
https://www.smb.museum/presse/pressemitteilungen/detail/museumsinsel-berlin-sonderausstellungsprogramm-2026/

In the Rhythm of the Big City - 100 Years of Photography and the Press in Berlin
12. June - 20 December 2026; Stabi Kulturwerk
https://staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/die-staatsbibliothek/abteilungen/generaldirektion/presse-und-oeffentlichkeitsarbeit/pressebilder/rhythmus-der-grossstadt

Portraits! Surprising encounters from Botticelli to Lempicka
16. October 2026 - 14 March 2027; Picture Gallery
https://www.smb.museum/presse/pressemitteilungen/detail/staatliche-museen-zu-berlin-sonderausstellungsprogramm-2026-gemaeldegalerie-kunstbibliothek-kunstgewerbemuseum-kupferstichkabinett-museum-fuer-fotografie-schloss-koepenick/

Genghis Khan - The World of the Mongols
Beginning of October 2026 - end of April 2027; James Simon Gallery
https://www.smb.museum/presse/pressemitteilungen/detail/museumsinsel-berlin-sonderausstellungsprogramm-2026/

Power, Pop & Sculpture: 100 years of Verner Panton
13. November 2026 - 23 May 2027; Museum of Decorative Arts
https://www.smb.museum/presse/pressemitteilungen/detail/staatliche-museen-zu-berlin-sonderausstellungsprogramm-2026-gemaeldegalerie-kunstbibliothek-kunstgewerbemuseum-kupferstichkabinett-museum-fuer-fotografie-schloss-koepenick/

Sophie Calle
13. November 2026 - 2 May 2027; Hamburger Bahnhof - Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart
https://www.smb.museum/presse/pressemitteilungen/detail/hamburger-bahnhof-nationalgalerie-der-gegenwart-30-jahre-hamburger-bahnhof-ein-jahr-voller-ausstellungen-musik-und-begegnungen-im-zeichen-von-partizipation-und-kollektivitaet/

Sound Bodies - Variations on a Theme of Art
23. November 2026 - end of 2027; Bode-Museum
https://www.smb.museum/presse/pressemitteilungen/detail/museumsinsel-berlin-sonderausstellungsprogramm-2026/

Music on Demand. Records, cassettes, streaming!
December 2026 - December 2027; Musical Instrument Museum SIMPK
https://www.simpk.de/ueber-uns/presse/pressemitteilungen/pressemitteilung-detailseite/artikel/2025/11/07/music-on-demand-schallplatten-kassetten-streaming-1.html

Further information

• Special exhibition programme Museum Island 2026
• Special exhibition programme Staatliche Museen zu Berlin 2026
• EXHIBITION OVERVIEW Neue Nationalgalerie 2025 /2026
• 30 years of Hamburger Bahnhof: A year full of exhibitions, music and encounters in the spirit of participation and collectivity
• EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS 2026 Museum of European Cultures
• Exhibition highlights: Ethnological Museum and Museum of Asian Art
• Highlights of the exhibition plans for the Dahlem Research Campus 2026
• In the rhythm of the big city - 100 years of photography and the press in Berlin
• EXHIBITIONS 2026 - IBERO AMERICAN INSTITUTE
• "...even secret archives long for light..." - 100 years of the Secret State Archives in Dahlem