CANBERRA.- Rarely seen works by some of art history’s best-known artists are coming from Berlin to the National Gallery of Australia this winter. Tickets are now on sale to see the art of Cézanne, Braque, Giacometti, Klee, Matisse and Picasso alongside works of art from Australia’s national collection.

Cézanne to Giacometti: Highlights from Museum Berggruen / Neue Nationalgalerie, curated in partnership with Berlin’s Museum Berggruen, features over 170 works of art, with around half of those travelling from abroad to shed a new light on a pivotal moment in art history. On display from 31 May to 21 September 2025, this major exhibition examines how the revolutionary ideas of modern art spread and drove developments in both European and Australian Modernism.

Cézanne to Giacometti marks the first time works of art from one of the most significant hubs of modern art in Germany – the Museum Berggruen collection in Berlin – will be seen in Australia. The exhibition offers unique insights into the development of 20th-century art, showcasing the deep connections between European and Australian artists. It highlights how Australian artists such as Dorrit Black, Grace Crowley, Anne Dangar and Russell Drysdale drew inspiration from European artists and how the Australian John Russell influenced the master Matisse.

The exhibition starts with Paul Cézanne, whose radical experiments and push against tradition gave courage to generations of artists who followed. The artists of the Museum Berggruen collection — Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, Paul Klee and Alberto Giacometti — were inspired by Cézanne, and the works they created transformed perspective, colour, subject matter and form across the 20th century.

While many of these artists lived and worked in Paris, where their art could be closely shared, the movement of people and pictures soon spread their ideas across the world. Australian art transformed in parallel with artists often encountering new ideas through adventurous travel, books and photographs from Europe, or for artists such as Inge King and Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack, having to flee their home country for Australia.

Dr Nick Mitzevich, Director, National Gallery: ‘By partnering with Berlin’s Museum Berggruen to bring this major project to fruition, we place Australia’s national collection within an international context. Cézanne to Giacometti is a unique opportunity for Australian audiences to experience rarely seen works by some of the world’s best-known artists, alongside and in conversation with, the art of significant Australian modernists.’

Dr Gabriel Montua, Director, Museum Berggruen: ‘We are excited to share the masterpieces of the Museum Berggruen / Neue Nationalgalerie collection in Berlin with the National Gallery of Australia while Museum Berggruen is closed for major renovations. This collaboration enables our collection to be experienced by new audiences in a broader context and allows us to explore the rich exchange of ideas that shaped modern art across continents.’