For the first time, the Scharf Collection, one of Germany’s most important private collections, will be presented on a large scale – namely from 24 October 2025 at the Alte Nationalgalerie. The collection comprises mainly 19th- and 20th-century French art as well as contemporary international art. The exhibition shows a selection of around 200 works, including outstanding pieces by Auguste Renoir, Pierre Bonnard, Edgar Degas and Claude Monet, and invites visitors on a journey through the collection: from Goya and French Realism to the French Impressionists and Cubists to contemporary art. A particular highlight is a selection of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s complete collection of prints.
Fig. above: Claude Monet, Waterloo Bridge, 1903, oil on canvas, 65 x 100 cm © The Scharf Collection, Ruland Photodesign
The Scharf Collection is the direct successor to Otto Gerstenberg’s important private collection in Berlin, which ranged from the beginnings of modernism with Goya to pioneers of the French avant-garde such as Gustave Courbet and Edgar Degas. His daughter Margarethe Scharf managed to save most of the collection despite many losses during the Second World War. The grandsons Walther and Dieter Scharf built up their own collections based on the works bequeathed to them: Dieter Scharf concentrated on Surrealism. Since 2008, his collection has been on permanent loan to the National Gallery in the Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection in Berlin-Charlottenburg.
Walther Scharf and his wife Eve, together with their son René, continued to expand the French focus of the collection. They acquired works by Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, Pierre Bonnard, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. Today, René Scharf and his wife Christiane focus on contemporary art. They are particularly interested in the expansion of the medium of painting and the relationship between representational and abstract imagery. Against this backdrop, René and Christiane Scharf are continuing the family’s collecting tradition into the present day with works by Sam Francis, Sean Scully, Daniel Richter and Katharina Grosse.
As part of its partnership with FlixTrain to mark the 200th anniversary of Berlin’s Museum Island, FlixTrain is presenting Flix Art Hours in the special exhibition ‘The Scharf Collection’. Starting on the opening day of the exhibition, visitors are invited to experience one of Germany’s leading private collections free of charge on four Thursdays – 30 October and 6, 20 and 27 November – from 4 to 6 p.m. each day. In doing so, FlixTrain is setting an example for cultural participation and underlining its commitment to getting more people moving – not only when travelling, but also when it comes to unique experiences that inspire and connect. Free tickets must be booked in advance via the ticket shop of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.
An exhibition by the Alte Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin in cooperation with the Kunstpalast Düsseldorf, sponsored by the Friends of the National Gallery. Accompanying the exhibition, a richly illustrated catalogue will be published by DCV – Dr. Cantz’sche Verlagsgesellschaft, edited by the Alte Nationalgalerie and the Kunstpalast.
WHEN?
Opening: Thursday, 23. October 2025, 6:30 pm
Exhibition period: Friday, 24. October 2025 to Sunday, 15. February 2026
Opening hours: Tue – Sun 10 am – 6 pm
WHERE?
Alte Nationalgalerie
Bodestr. 1-3
10178 Berlin-Mitte
