BERLIN.- The Neue Nationalgalerie has reached a significant milestone in its ongoing effort to digitize its extensive collection, making approximately 1,500 artworks from its post-1945 holdings available online. This initiative, part of a three-year research project, aims to enhance scholarly access to the museum's 20th-century art collection.
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The newly released digital publication, accessible at www.smb.museum/nng-bestand-nach-1945, features a diverse range of paintings, sculptures, and objects from artists across West Germany, the former GDR, Western Europe, the United States, and former socialist states.
The digital catalog includes renowned masterpieces such as Barnett Newman's "Who's Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue IV" and Francis Bacon's "Portrait of Isabel Rawsthorne Standing in a Street in Soho," alongside works from various artistic movements including Informel, American Color Field painting, 1970s Realism, GDR art, Pop Art, and Minimal Art. Featured artists include Willi Baumeister, Lee Bontecou, Rebecca Horn, Wolfgang Mattheuer, Henry Moore, Louise Nevelson, Bridget Riley, Mark Rothko, and Gerhard Richter.
This digitization effort builds upon the Neue Nationalgalerie's ongoing commitment to making its collection more accessible. Since 2018, the museum has been actively cataloging and digitizing its holdings, following the 2021 online publication of its Classical Modernism inventory catalog. With the release of the post-1945 catalog, 95% of the collection managed by the Neue Nationalgalerie, including the Museum Berggruen, is now searchable online.
It's important to note that works by artists such as Joseph Beuys, Marcel Broodthaers, Hanne Darboven, Dan Graham, Anselm Kiefer, Richard Serra, and Bill Viola, currently managed by Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, are not included in this release and will be addressed in a future phase of the project. The Nationalgalerie’s 20th century collection will be brought together at the Kulturforum Berlin when berlin modern opens, while 21st century works will stay at Hamburger Bahnhof.
The three-year research project focused on verifying and updating core data, provenance, literature, and exhibition history for each artwork. Accompanying texts provide art historical context. The digital publication also brings to light works that have been rarely, if ever, seen in public exhibitions, contributing to a more complete understanding of the Nationalgalerie's collection history.
Users can search the online database through the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin website, using filters and advanced search functions. Most works are accompanied by images.
A selection of works currently on display in the "Zerreißprobe. Kunst zwischen Politik und Gesellschaft" exhibition at the Neue Nationalgalerie has been available online since November 2023, with QR codes providing access to additional information for on-site visitors.
The Neue Nationalgalerie acknowledges the support of the Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung, which provided crucial funding for the project. Emily Joyce Evans and Maike Steinkamp, research assistants under the collection management of Joachim Jäger, led the project.
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