Neue Nationalgalarie, Berlin

The Neue Nationalgalerie is famous as the temple of light and glass and was designed by Mies Van Der Rohe, and is place which has some of the best collection of twentieth century European painting and sculpture. The museum building was functional from 1968 and it has some breath taking interior design and display space which is mostly located underground while the place above ground level serves as a reception center cum lobby and a place from where one can purchase tickets.

The unique interiors of the museum include walls which are made of glass interspersed with slim metal structural supports. The place is lit up with natural lights falling on the highly polished floors presenting a magnificent site. And as one look up one can gaze at the brilliant LCD displays which throw up abstract patterns from time to time thus making a wonderful combination with the natural light.

The place has a permanent collection which is eclipsed often as and when temporary collections are displayed in the new national gallery. The museum is known for its collection of modern century art which are represented by some forms like Cubism, Expressionism, the Bauhaus and Surrealism. Among the pioneers of Cubism whose works are on display include Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris, and Fernand Leger.

In the art of expressionism the works of Die Brucke group stands out and it includes the paintings and sculptures by the expressionists like Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and Erich Heckel.

The top draw of the paintings include the Kirchner's painting called Potsdamer Platz which depicts a scene of Berlin night life painted way back in 1914 shortly after the start of the first world war.

Surrealism on the other hand comes out in the works of artists like Max Ernst, Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró while Verism and Neue Sachlichkeit are thrown up in the works of Otto Dix and George Grosz. The building has almost five thousand square meter of exhibition space and nearly eight hundred meters of wall space. So if you are a lover of art and happen to be in Berlin, make sure that you make a trip to this new national gallery to check out some interesting displays.