18 new acquisitions and two donations for the National Gallery of Contemporary Art: Works by Tina Bara, Isaac Chong Wai, Mona Hatoum, Emeka Ogboh, Selma Selman, Wolfgang Tillmans, and many more from the current collection presentation will remain at Hamburger Bahnhof; since 2022, the collection has been expanded to include works by nearly 70 artists.
Image above: Petrit Halilaj & Alvaro Urbano, 10th of May 2016 (Cherry), 2020 © Courtesy die Künstler; ChertLüdde, Berlin; Mennour, Paris; kurimanzutto, New York, Mexico City; und Travesía Cuatro, Madrid, Mexico City, Guadalajara / Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin / Jacopo La Forgia
Large-format installations by Mona Hatoum and Selma Selman, a sound installation by Emeka Ogboh, a series of works by Eva&Adele, a film by Tina Bara, and many other artworks by 20 artists were acquired for the Hamburger Bahnhof. These works are currently on display in the collection presentation “Nationalgalerie – A Collection for the 21st Century” on art in Berlin since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, which can be seen until March 29, 2026. Since 2022, the collection has thus grown to include works by a total of 70 artists.
The collection of the National Gallery of Contemporary Art is growing: Tina Bara, Isaac Chong Wai, Jason Dodge, Haris Epaminonda, Ayşe Erkmen, Eva&Adele, Annette Frick, Petrit Halilaj and Alvaro Urbano, Flaka Haliti, Mona Hatoum, Sabine Hermann, Barbara Klemm, Klara Lidén, Marwan, Emeka Ogboh, Manfred Paul, Selma Selman, Wolfgang Tillmans, and Carrie Mae Weems are represented with works of contemporary art in the Hamburger Bahnhof, which is responsible for contemporary art in the National Gallery collection. The works were acquired for the collection primarily from the museum’s own funds and additionally through the generous support of the Hamburger Bahnhof International Companions e.V. and the Friends of the National Gallery. The work by Marwan was donated from his estate. The “CUM-Polaroids” series by Eva&Adele was donated to the museum by the legendary Berlin artist couple before Eva’s death.
The exhibition “National Gallery: A Collection for the 21st Century” runs until March 29, 2026, presenting a panorama of Berlin’s art scene and the city from the eve of the fall of the Berlin Wall to the present day. The new presentation of the collection opened in 2023 with the first edition of the free “Open House” open days and the Berlin Beats DJ series in the museum garden. The new collection presentation will open on June 12, 2026, as part of the museum’s 30th anniversary with the fourth edition of the open days and Berlin Beats.
Since 2022, Hamburger Bahnhof has added works by around 70 artists to its collection. From the collection presentation “Museum in Motion” in the Rieckhallen, which runs until July 26, 2026, works by Anne Imhof and Elmgreen and Dragset, for example, have been added to the museum’s collection. Since 2023, new productions by Judith Hopf, Claudia Wieser, and Susan Philipsz from the site-specific “Infinite Exhibition” have been added to the museum’s collection, as well as a donation from Christian Boltanski last year.
