What the Oscars season is to cinema, the autumn months are to art. In many major cities across Europe, important art fairs and other events take place, galleries join together for weekend tours, museums showcase their biggest exhibitions, and everywhere there are young artists to discover and famous artworks to admire. In Part 1 of our autumn art guide, we present the most important events and most famous artworks in Germany:

Caspar David Friedrich and Salvador Dalí: Famous Artworks Not to Miss in Berlin

The art season in Berlin traditionally starts with Berlin Art Week in September. This year, over 130,000 people visited more than 100 projects across museums, galleries, and other exhibition spaces.

These highlights are still on display:

• Sigmar Polke at Schinkel Pavilion: The major exhibition “Der heimische Waldboden. Höhere Wesen befahlen: Polke zeigen!” pays tribute to one of Germany’s most famous artists, whose work is marked by irony, experimentation, and political commentary—through painting, photography, film, and graphics.
• Berlin Artist Mariechen Danz, winner of the GASAG Art Prize 2024, is showcasing an exhibition at Berlinische Galerie, displaying casts of human limbs and organs that she connects with objects from technology and the cosmos.
• Rirkrit Tiravanija at Gropius Bau: The famous Thai artist has taken over the building with his exhibition DAS GLÜCK IST NICHT IMMER LUSTIG. Table tennis tables for visitors and an open kitchen where food was prepared during the opening days are integral to the artist’s interactive works.
• Conny Maier at Société Gallery: No longer an insider tip, Berlin-based painter Conny Maier explores fundamental questions about human nature, ecology, power, and dominance in her works.
• Candida Höfer is famous for her large-format photographs of empty public buildings. The Käthe Kollwitz Prize winner is celebrated with an exhibition at the Akademie der Künste.

Apart from Berlin Art Week, Berlin’s museums offer numerous famous artworks in their permanent collections, always worth a visit. Here are our top 5:

Caspar David Friedrich: Mönch am Meer. 1808-1810, Alte Nationalgalerie Berlin

• Bust of Nefertiti – Neues Museum: This world-famous bust of the Egyptian queen Nefertiti is one of the most well-known representations of ancient Egyptian art.
• “Monk by the Sea” by Caspar David Friedrich – Alte Nationalgalerie: This melancholic masterpiece of Romanticism depicts the solitude of a monk before a stormy sea.
• “Self-portrait with Bowed Head” by Paula Modersohn-Becker – Berlinische Galerie: A profound self-portrait by one of Germany’s most famous early 20th-century artists.
• “The Garden of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch – Gemäldegalerie: A fascinating triptych depicting paradisiacal, earthly, and hellish scenes with astonishing detail.
• “Portrait of Mrs. Isabel Styler-Tas (Melancolía)” by Salvador Dalí – Neue Nationalgalerie: In this portrait by the famous surrealist artist, his characteristic, almost dreamlike portrayal style is evident.

 

From Pablo Picasso to Roy Lichtenstein: Famous Artists to Discover in the Rhineland

The Rhineland kicked off the new art season right after summer vacation. DC Open, a major gallery weekend, marks the beginning in Cologne and Düsseldorf. ART COLOGNE, the world’s oldest art fair, takes place in November. Each year, it attracts collectors and art enthusiasts from around the world to Cologne to discover new rising stars and established artists. In the Post-War & Modern section, famous works by Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, and others are regularly featured. Beyond the fair, the Rhineland, with its high density of museums and art associations, offers plenty of amazing art to explore.

Here are the top 5 museums and most famous artworks to admire in the Rhineland:

• “Ema – Nude on a Staircase” by Gerhard Richter – Museum Ludwig, Cologne: Gerhard Richter is considered Germany’s most important painter. Several of his most famous works, including a portrait of his first wife Ema, are on display in his hometown.
• “Woman with Mirror (Squatting Woman)” by Pablo Picasso – K20, Düsseldorf: This work from Picasso’s Cubist phase is an impressive example of his innovative approach to form and figure in space.
• “Untitled (1005L)” by Katharina Grosse – Kunstmuseum Bonn: Katharina Grosse is one of Germany’s most famous female artists. Her large-scale abstract spray paintings not only hang in museums but sometimes adorn entire buildings, inside and out.
• “Sweet Dreams, Baby!” by Roy Lichtenstein – Ludwig Forum Aachen: An iconic Pop Art piece, reflecting Lichtenstein’s distinctive comic style and his exploration of mass culture.
• “Self-portrait” by Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn – Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Cologne: A famous self-portrait from the later work of the painter, showcasing Rembrandt’s mastery in portraiture and his ability to depict human psychology.