The Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery) on Museum Island in Berlin is a gallery showing many important 19th century works from the collection of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation.

History

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The Nationalgalerie was founded in 1861, after the donations of 262 paintings by banker Johann Heinrich Wagener. The collection was first housed in the buildings of the Akademie der Künste. The current building, shaped like a Roman temple with an appended apse was planned by Friedrich August Stüler in 1865, following a sketch by King Frederick William IV of Prussia, and its construction between 1869 and 1876 was overseen by Heinrich Strack. The building was heavily damaged in World War II air raids. It was partly reopened in 1949, but reconstruction continued until 1969. Between 1998 and 2001, the museum was renovated thoroughly. Some extra halls were added on the uppermost floor and now contain the Romantic works.

Collection

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The collection contains works from Classicism and Romanticism (by artists such as Caspar David Friedrich, Karl Friedrich Schinkel, and Karl Blechen), of the Biedermeier, the French Impressionism (Édouard Manet, Claude Monet) and early modern works (Adolph von Menzel, Max Liebermann, Lovis Corinth). Among the most important exhibits are Friedrich's Mönch am Meer, Menzel's Eisenwalzwerk and sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow's Prinzessinnengruppe, a double statue of princesses Louise and Friederike of Prussia.

See also

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• Neue Nationalgalerie

References

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This articles is based on a translation of the German Wikipedia article Alte Nationalgalerie.

External links

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• Alte Nationalgalerie

Art museums and galleries in Berlin

Alte Nationalgalerie | Alte Nationalgalerie | Alte Nationalgalerie