On 22 March 1876, the National Gallery building on Museum Island was officially opened by Emperor Wilhelm I. To mark this occasion, the Alte Nationalgalerie will celebrate the building’s 150th anniversary on Sunday, 22 March 2026, from 11 am, with a varied and colourful programme.
Image above: Hermione von Preuschen: Mors Imperator (Detail), 1887, Private collection © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Alte Nationalgalerie, Mika Wißkirchen
A spectacular painting caused a sensation in Berlin in 1887: ‘Mors Imperator’ (translated: ‘Death is the Ruler’), painted by the artist Hermione von Preusschen (1854–1918). The work was deemed an offence against the majesty of the emperor: Emperor Wilhelm I was already 90 years old at the time of its creation and was to die the following year. Although the emperor had it announced that he had no objection to the painting, it was rejected by the jury of the Royal Academy of Arts. The painter then exhibited the monumental painting in Berlin on her own initiative. The exhibition was a huge success with the public. The Alte Nationalgalerie is now displaying this painting, long believed to be lost, in public for the first time and is introducing the artist, who was highly influential in her day, to today’s audience in a special exhibition.
“Genius is free not to be bound by gender; it flies into the souls of whomever and however it pleases.” These words were spoken by the painter, poet and world traveller Hermione von Preuschen at the “International Women’s Congress” in Berlin in 1896, where she advocated for the emancipation of women—who were at that time denied admission to art academies—in her speech “On Women’s Artistic Studies”. Born in Darmstadt in 1854, the artist had taken painting lessons from Ferdinand Keller in Karlsruhe for three years from 1872 onwards; under his influence, she developed her decorative, dramatic style and discovered the “historical still life” for herself.
In 1887, she created her remarkable painting Mors Imperator, which marked the beginning of a series of large-scale Symbolist compositions.
At the centre of the painting stands a skeleton, depicted as a ruler clad in a purple cloak trimmed with ermine. With his right hand resting on a sword, he uses his left to overturn the magnificent throne in an authoritative gesture. The figure wears an iron crown of thorns upon his skull, whilst a crown set with precious stones falls to the ground. Its right foot rests on a globe – here, Death appears as the triumphant ruler of the world.
Von Preuschen sent the work to Berlin in 1887 for the Academy Exhibition. However, the jury rejected the painting because they saw in the depiction an allusion to the 90-year-old Emperor Wilhelm I. Even after the painter had managed to obtain a statement from the Emperor to the effect that he had no objection, the Academy jury continued to refuse to accept the painting. Meanwhile, the artistic execution, which had previously been praised, had also come under criticism: ‘The inartistic expression of a twisted idea.’
What followed revealed von Preuschen’s outstanding understanding of the workings of the art world and the power of public attention, as well as her remarkable self-assurance at a time when female artists faced considerable resistance. As a tactical counter-move, she rented premises at 43 Leipziger Straße in Berlin to exhibit the controversial painting—whose rejection was already being discussed in the press—to the public for an admission fee. The success was overwhelming. Numerous visitors flocked to the exhibition, newspapers reported on it at length, and quite a few critics openly questioned the jury’s decision. The then 33-year-old painter was able to celebrate her triumph: the scandal surrounding ‘Mors Imperator’ became the talk of the town and made her famous overnight.
Alongside the painting, the exhibition features publications, letters and photographs documenting both the scandal surrounding von Preuschen’s most famous painting and her work as a writer, world traveller and the patron behind the construction of the ‘Tempio Hermione’ in Lichtenrade near Berlin.
The extensive programme of events marking the Old National Gallery’s anniversary year will kick off with a grand birthday celebration on Sunday 22 March 2026.
Programme:
11 am
Handover of the baton from Martin Maischberger, Director of the Collection of Classical Antiquities, to Anette Hüsch, Director of the Alte Nationalgalerie, and opening of the special exhibition “Scandal! Hermione von Preuschen and the Mors Imperator” with the exhibition’s curator, Dr Birgit Verwiebe
12:30 am
Surprise tour
1 pm
Architectural masterpiece Alte Nationalgalerie
1 until 5 pm
Cicerone in „Skandal! Hermione von Preuschen and the Mors Imperator“
1:15 pm
Discovering the Old National Gallery
1:30 pm
Surprise tour
2 pm
From temple to museum
2:15 pm
Discovering the Old National Gallery
2:30 pm
Surprise tour
3 pm
Architectural masterpiece Alte Nationalgalerie
3:15 pm
Curiosity welcome for families
3:30 pm
Surprise tour
4 pm
From temple to museum
4:15 pm
Curiosity welcome for families
4:30 pm
Surprise tour
5 pm
Surprise tour
WHEN?
Opening: Sunday, 22. March 2026, 11 am
Exhibition dates: Sunday, 22. March until Sunday, 15. November 2026
WHERE?
Alte Nationalgalerie
Bodestraße 1-3
10178 Berlin
