Festivals and Films

The Collection of the Banker J.H. Wagener. The Formation of the National Gallery

From 22 Mar 2011 to 07 Jan 2012

23 March-8 January 2012. Germany's national gallery for contemporary art opened in 1861 after Berlin banker Joachim Heinrich Wagener donated some 262 pictures from his private collection to the Prussian king.

Over the preceding 40 years Wagener had built up this collection with the proviso that it form the heart of a future national gallery.

To celebrate the anniversary of this event the national gallery displays 140 of the most important works from Wagener's donation, reflecting the focus on art in Germany and Europe of the time. The exhibition reappraises Wagener's collection some 150 years after it first went on show and a reprint of the original catalogue has been published to mark the occasion.

Tues-Sun 10.00-18.00 Thurs 10.00-22.00