With NIGHT, the Neue Nationalgalerie is presenting the first major solo exhibition by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan in Germany. The exhibition is taking place as part of the 2026 Nationalgalerie Prize, for which Maurizio Cattelan was selected by an international jury. It brings together key historical works by Cattelan and new pieces in the iconic Mies van der Rohe building.
Image above: Maurizio Cattelan, Novecento, 1997, Castello di Rivoli, Torino, Foto / Photo: Paolo Pellion di Persano.
Since the early 1990s, Maurizio Cattelan (born 1960 in Padua) has been one of the defining voices in international contemporary art. His works draw on familiar images that are deeply rooted in the collective memory, and shift their meaning through minimal, often unsettling interventions. In doing so, Cattelan addresses themes that are particularly charged socially, historically or emotionally: religion, childhood, authority and intergenerational collective traumas. Using a visual language that oscillates between irony, provocation, exaggeration and formal reduction, he challenges established narratives and opens up new perspectives on memory, faith and social power structures. With NIGHT, Maurizio Cattelan returns to Berlin – twenty years after co-curating the 4th Berlin Biennale.
The exhibition brings together key works such as Him (2001), Novecento (1997), La Rivoluzione Siamo Noi (2000) and Untitled (2003) – inspired by Günter Grass’s The Tin Drum – alongside new works. Together, they explore central themes in Cattelan’s oeuvre: the fragile boundary between innocence and violence, the construction of identity, and the enduring presence of historical memory.
At the heart of the exhibition is a site-specific installation developed especially for the Neue Nationalgalerie. With this new commissioned work, Cattelan gently intervenes in the spatial organisation of the building, thereby altering the way in which it is used and experienced, and opening up new forms of encounter. Familiar exhibition formats take a back seat in favour of a presentation characterised by attention, reflection and shared experience. This shifts the relationships between the artwork, the audience and the architecture.
The Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, designed by Mies van der Rohe, provides a unique setting for this. Its iconic architecture serves not only as a venue for the exhibition, but also as an active component of the presentation itself, significantly shaping the perception and experience of the works on display.
Presented in Berlin, NIGHT unfolds within a German context shaped by multi-layered historical experiences and ongoing processes of remembrance. Whilst social narratives are continually re-examined across generations, Cattelan’s work enters a field of tension in which images, symbols and forms of representation continue to be actively negotiated.
MAURIZIO CATTELAN. NIGHT is curated by Lisa Botti, curator at the Neue Nationalgalerie, together with Klaus Biesenbach, director of the Neue Nationalgalerie, in close collaboration with Maurizio Cattelan.
Klaus Biesenbach explains: “As someone who was born in Germany and has spent most of his adult life abroad, Maurizio Cattelan’s work has always had a very German interpretation for me. For me, *Him* also referred to Willy Brandt’s kneeling gesture; *Little Drummer Boy* reminded me of *The Tin Drum*; and, of course, Joseph Beuys’s felt suit was one of my first encounters with the art world, as I grew up just a few kilometres from where Beuys worked. Now we are set to experience Cattelan’s work in Berlin – in that city which, in my mind, was in a strange way already the conceptual origin of many of these works. And even this building, the Mies building, which many describe as a temple, will now, as a church, become part of and the subject of this exhibition.”
Lisa Botti adds: “This exhibition was developed in close collaboration with Maurizio Cattelan over an extended period. This involved repeated visits to Berlin as well as an ongoing dialogue about the Neue Nationalgalerie and its historical context. Conceived specifically for this venue, the exhibition brings together existing works and new commissions that make direct reference to their location. The title NIGHT refers to a state in which things are not necessarily hidden, but are perceived in a different way. In the subdued light of evening, familiar forms can appear unfamiliar, whilst details previously overlooked suddenly come into focus.”
The National Gallery Prize, launched in 2000 by the Friends of the National Gallery, has established itself over the past 25 years as one of the most significant awards for contemporary art in Germany and honours artists who have had a lasting impact on the national and international art scene.
In 2026, with the move to the Neue Nationalgalerie, the Nationalgalerie Prize will enter a new phase, offering a female artist the unique opportunity to stage a focused and ambitious exhibition in the iconic Glass Hall. The format reflects the Nationalgalerie’s commitment to bringing significant art to Berlin.
“We are delighted to be showcasing Maurizio Cattelan’s work in such depth for the first time in Berlin as part of this new chapter of the prize,” said Christian Kohorst, Chair of the Friends of the Nationalgalerie. “Making artists accessible to a new and wider audience is precisely what the Nationalgalerie Prize is all about – and this complements our ongoing support for emerging artists through acquisitions, commissions, exhibitions and educational programmes.”
The jury for the 2026 Nationalgalerie Prize comprises Emma Lavigne (Director of the Pinault Collection, Paris) and Sam Keller (Director of the Fondation Beyeler, Basel), as well as Klaus Biesenbach (Director of the Neue Nationalgalerie). In addition to the jury members, the curators of the National Gallery and the members of the FRIENDS of the National Gallery were also eligible to submit nominations.
The exhibition accompanying the National Gallery Prize is made possible by the FRIENDS of the National Gallery and sponsored by BMW.
WHEN?
Opening: Wednesday, 9 September 2026 (as part of Berlin Art Week)
Exhibition dates: Thursday 10 September 2026 – Sunday 7 March 2027
Opening hours: Tuesday–Wednesday, Friday–Sunday, 10 am – 6 pm; Thursday, 10 am – 8 pm
WHERE?
Neue Nationalgalerie
Potsdamer Straße 50
10785 Berlin
