New Masters Gallery, Dresden State Art Collections

From Caspar David Friedrich to Gerhard Richter. The broad spectrum of works extending from the Romantic period to the present day and the exceptional quality of the paintings in the collection are the defining features of the Galerie Neue Meister (New Masters Gallery) and makes it one of the most important museums of its kind in Germany. The exhibition in the Albertinum contains masterpieces by the Romantic painters as well as 20th-century art and contemporary works. Contemporary art enters into an exciting dialogue with the older holdings of the collection. The 21st-century visitor encounters a broad intellectual universe in which the various stylistic periods are presented in unusual proximity, so that they are experienced in a new and different way. The tour through the exhibition begins with several masterpieces by Caspar David Friedrich, the most important German Romantic artist. It then proceeds in chronological order, featuring further representatives of the Romantic movement (Carl Gustav Carus, Johan Christian Dahl, Ludwig Richter), French and German Impressionists (Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Max Liebermann, Max Slevogt), Expressionists such as Otto Dix and the Brücke artists (Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff) as well as representatives of the Dresden Secession (Bernhard Kretzschmar, Carl Lohse). For the first time a full room are dedicated to each of the artists Sigmar Polke and Georg Baselitz. The tour ends with two halls containing works by Gerhard Richter, which the artist himself designed and for which he has created new works. New media are represented in the form of (sound and video) installations and video films. Occasionally there are surprising encounters with works from the Skulpturensammlung (Sculpture Collection), which is also housed in the Albertinum. The Galerie Neue Meister (New Masters Gallery) is part of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden State Art Collections) that are among the most prominent museums in the world. The combined holdings of the twelve museums offer the visitor a remarkable thematic diversity. These museums originated from the collections of the Saxon electors and Polish kings. They systematically developed cabinets of curiosities, which were accessible to select circles in their day and still form the core of the wonderful art treasures of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden today. The collections are situated in world famous buildings such as the Residenzschloss (Royal Palace), the Zwinger, and the Semperbau (Semper Building), which are among the most important sights in Dresden.