Berlinische Galerie - Museum of modern art, photography and architecture

For the first time, Berlinische Galerie and Österreichische Galerie Belvedere will present  the central works of Viennese and Berlin modernism in a large-scale show, from the Secessions in both cities to expressionism and New Objectivity. By combining masterpieces from both collections with works that until now have not been granted much attention, the show will provide a comprehensive look at the intense exchange that took place between these two major urban centers at the start of the twentieth century.

Vienna and Berlin: a strong cultural link bound these two cities beginning in the nineteenth century and lasting for decades. While the exchanges that took place in the realms of literature, theater, and music are well known, the ca. 200 pieces of this exhibition show that a vital dialog also took place between visual artists in the two cities, shaping the course of classical modernism: a dialog that until now has not received much attention.

The holdings of these two institutions are well suited to bringing aspects of this link to the public eye. This includes the reception of the Berlin Secession around Max Liebermann in Germany and Gustav Klimt’s Secession in Vienna and the meager reception of the Dadaism in Austria, the influential Berlin stays of numerous Vienna artists after the First World War, and Vienna’s own forms of new objectivity. By combining the works that come from the specific intellectual milieus of these sister cities, the exhibition is intended as a contribution to the study of urban culture.

Artists in the exhibition include Hans Baluschek, Max Beckmann, Otto Dix, George Grosz, Carry Hauser, Raoul Hausmann, Hannah Höch, Ernst-Ludwig Kirchner, Erika Giovanna Klien, Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, Broncia Koller-Pinell, Max Liebermann, Jeanne Mammen, Ludwig Meidner, Koloman Moser, Max Oppenheimer, Emil Orlik, Christian Schad, Egon Schiele, and Max Slevogt.

A joint presentation of Berlinische Galerie and Österreichische Galerie Belvedere Wien. The exhibition under the patronage of Klaus Wowereit, Governing Mayor of Berlin, is taking place with kind support from the Stiftung Deutsche Klassenlotterie Berlin and the Kulturstiftung der Länder.