National Gallery of Australia
31 May to 21 September 2025
Pablo Picasso, Woman seated in an armchair (Femme assise dans un fauteuil), 1939, installation view, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, 2025
Paul Cézanne, Portrait of Madame Cézanne, c 1885, installation view, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, 2025
Henri Matisse, Tériade Éditeur, Edmond Vairel, Draeger Frères, Jazz. Icare [Icarus], 1947, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1980 © Succession H. Matisse/Copyright Agency, 2025
Henri Matisse, Tériade Éditeur, Edmond Vairel, Draeger Frères, Jazz. Le Coeur [The Heart], 1947, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1980, © Succession H. Matisse/Copyright Agency, 2025
Henri Matisse, Tériade Éditeur, Edmond Vairel, Draeger Frères, Jazz. Les Codomas [The Codomas], 1947, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1979, © Succession H. Matisse/Copyright Agency, 2025
Alberto Giacometti, Tall nude standing III (Grande femme debout III), 1960 (cast 1981), Museum Berggruen, Neue Nationalgalerie—Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz © Succession Alberto Giacometti. ADAGP/Copyright Agency 2025, photo: Musée de l’Orangerie, Heinz Berggruen, a Dealer and his Collection, 2025
Modernist masterpieces are now on display in the National Gallery of Australia’s major new exhibition – Cézanne to Giacometti: highlights from Museum Berggruen / Neue Nationalgalerie.
Exclusive to Kamberri/Canberra, this landmark exhibition showcases works by some of the greatest artists of the 20th century, including Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, Paul Klee and Alberto Giacometti. Curated in partnership with Berlin’s Museum Berggruen, the works are presented alongside Australia’s national collection to examine how the revolutionary ideas of modern art spread and inspired developments in both European and Australian modernism.
Cézanne to Giacometti is on display from 31 May to 21 September 2025 and marks the first time works of art from this renowned German collection will be shown in Australia. Bringing together over 80 works from the Museum Berggruen collection with over 75 works from the National Gallery’s collection, the exhibition offers local audiences a rare opportunity to experience masterpieces that shaped the course of modern art – from here and abroad.
The exhibition begins with the revolutionary ideas of Cézanne, whose experiments with perspective, colour and form broke tradition and influenced generations of artists. His legacy is reflected in the work of Picasso, Matisse, Klee and others who pushed the boundaries of artistic expression in the 20th century. While many of these artists worked in Paris, their ideas spread globally and transformed Australian art in parallel.
Cézanne to Giacometti brings these global connections to life, presenting a genealogy of artists who have influenced one another across time, highlighting Australian art's connections to, and encounters with, the European avant-garde. Through an expansive exhibition experience, audiences will have the opportunity to explore artistic revolutions in perspective, colour, subject matter and materials that occurred over a 100-year period in Europe and Australia.
Fostered by Nicolas Berggruen, the son of Heinz Berggruen, during his visit to the National Gallery in 2023, this remarkable partnership with Museum Berggruen places works from their prestigious collection in dialogue with Australia’s national collection.
Nicolas Berggruen: ‘As the Berggruen Museum collection journeys around the world, its stop at the exceptional National Gallery of Australia is a tribute to the enduring inspiration of Europe’s great modern masters. We’re honoured to bring these works into dialogue with the National Gallery’s remarkable collection and the vibrant cultural landscape of Australia.’
Dr Nick Mitzevich, Director, National Gallery: ‘The Cézanne to Giacometti exhibition exemplifies the power of international collaboration. The exhibition highlights the connections between European and Australian art history, telling an expansive story of art in the modern era. While the physical distance between Europe and Australia is great, the personal and artistic connections between artists of both continents bridges this distance. I thank Nicolas Berggruen and the Museum Berggruen staff for entrusting your collection with the National Gallery of Australia. I am so grateful for such a fulsome collaboration to bring our two institutions together. We look forward to the inspiration and insights this exhibition will bring to our audiences.’
The exhibition is accompanied by a richly illustrated publication that explores the relationships between the two collections and the broader history of modernism. A vibrant program of public programs and digital experiences includes an audio tour narrated by Australian writer Bri Lee, a short exhibition film and an interactive play space designed by Gadigal Nura/Sydney-based contemporary artist Dr Sanné Mestrom.
This unique opportunity to bring one of Europe’s foremost collections of modern art to Australia is testament to the generosity of Museum Berggruen and the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, Germany, and the members of the Berggruen family. The collection was assembled by prominent art dealer Heinz Berggruen (1914–2007), who, after fleeing Germany ahead of the Second World War, lived in Paris for more than 50 years and formed close relationships with boundary-pushing artists. After returning to Berlin late in life, he sold the majority of his collection to the German government, ensuring its preservation and public access.
Klaus Biesenbach, Director, Neue Nationalgalerie—Stiftung, Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin: ‘As you explore Cézanne to Giacometti, I encourage you to engage with each artwork not just as an isolated piece but as part of a larger conversation — a dialogue that spans continents and generations.’
Exhibition organised in partnership with Berlin’s Museum Berggruen / Neue Nationalgalerie.
National Gallery Curators: David Greenhalgh, Curator, International Art, Deirdre Cannon, Assistant Curator, Australian Art and Simeran Maxwell, Associate Curator, Australian Art
FEATURED ARTISTS
From the Museum Berggruen collection: Paul Cézanne, Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, Henri Matisse, Alberto Giacometti
From the National Gallery of Australia collection: Russell Drysdale, Ian Fairweather, Grace Cossington Smith, George Bell, Lina Bryans, John Passmore, Dorrit Black, Grace Crowley, Roy de Maistre, Roland Wakelin, Paul Haefliger, Eric Wilson, Anne Dangar, Dora Maar, Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack, Normana Wight, Clement Meadmore, Inge King, Marcella Hempel, André Derain, John Russell, Pierre Bonnard, Rosemary Madigan, Auguste Rodin, Emile Bourdelle, Bea Maddock, Charles Blackman
Private loans: Dora Maar, Georges Braque
ABOUT MUSEUM BERGGRUEN
One of the most significant hubs of modern art in Germany and featuring one of the most significant collections of works by Pablo Picasso worldwide, the Museum Berggruen collection originates from the prominent gallerist and passionate collector Heinz Berggruen (1914–2007). Berggruen was born and raised in Berlin and spent more than half a century living in Paris, where he connected with artists of the time and built a truly unique collection of modern art. Featuring key works by Paul Cézanne, Paul Klee, Henri Matisse and Alberto Giacometti, Heinz Berggruen’s collection was acquired by the German state in 2000, and now forms an ideal and natural complement to the collection of modern art held at its mother institution the Neue Nationalgalerie. Currently closed to the public for major building renovations, the Museum Berggruen has been touring their collection since 2022. The exhibition at the National Gallery follows the recent success of Heinz Berggruen: a dealer and his collection at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris, which resulted in the third highest attendance to an exhibition in the history of the institution.
Paul Cézanne, L'Après-midi à Naples [Afternoon in Naples], c.1875, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1985
Paul Cézanne, Portrait of Madame Cézanne, c 1885, Museum Berggruen, Museum Berggruen, Neue Nationalgalerie—Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz. On long term loan from the Berggruen family. Photo: ©bpk/ Nationalgalerie, SMB, Museum Berggruen/Jens Ziehe
Pablo Picasso, Portrait of Jaime Sabartés (Portrait de Jaime Sabartés) 1904 oil on canvas, Museum Berggruen, Neue Nationalgalerie—Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz NG MB 3/2000. Photo: ©bpk/ Nationalgalerie, SMB, Museum Berggruen/Jens Ziehe © Succession Picasso/Copyright Agency, 2025.
Georges Braque, Still life with pipe (Le Quotidien du Midi) (Nature morte à la pipe (Le Quotidien du Midi)) 1914, Museum Berggruen, Neue Nationalgalerie—Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz NG MB 91/2000 © Georges Braque, ADAGP/Copyright Agency, 2025. Photo: ©bpk/ Nationalgalerie, SMB, Museum Berggruen/Jens Ziehe
Paul Klee, Landscape in blue, 1917, Museum Berggruen, Neue Nationalgalerie—Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz, on loan from the Berggruen family, photo: © bpk/ Nationalgalerie, SMB, Museum Berggruen/ Jens Ziehe
Ludwig Hirschfeld-Mack, Postkarte zur Bauhaus-Ausstellung, 1923, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Penelope Seidler AM in memory of Harry Seidler AC 2010, © Estate of Ludwig Hirschfeld-Mack
Henri Matisse, In the studio in Nice (Intérieur d'Atelier à Nice), 1929, Museum Berggruen, Neue Nationalgalerie―Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz © Succession H. Matisse/Copyright Agency, 2025, photo: © bpk/ Nationalgalerie, SMB, Museum Berggruen/Jens Ziehe
Paul Klee, Necropolis (Nekropolis) 1929, Museum Berggruen, Neue Nationalgalerie—Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz NG MB 138/2000, Photo: ©bpk/ Nationalgalerie, SMB, Museum Berggruen/Jens Ziehe
Paul Klee, Above and below (Drüber und drunter), 1932, Museum Berggruen, Neue Nationalgalerie—Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz. On long-term loan from the Berggruen family, photo © bpk/ Nationalgalerie, SMB, Museum Berggruen/Jens Ziehe
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Dorrit Black, House-roofs and flowers, 1935, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1978
Ian Fairweather, Market scene, Peking, 1935, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, gift of Trevor Bail in celebration of the National Gallery of Australia's 40th anniversary, 2022. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program. © Ian Fairweather. DACS/Copyright Agency
Pablo Picasso Dora Maar with green fingernails 1936, Museum Berggruen, Neue Nationalgalerie—Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz NG MB 53/2000 © Succession Picasso/Copyright Agency, 2025. Photo: ©bpk/ Nationalgalerie, SMB, Museum Berggruen/Jens Ziehe
Russell Drysdale, Composition, 1937, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 2023 © Estate of Russell Drysdale
Paul Haefliger, Abstract with violin (also known as Guitar) 1938, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1976. © Bathurst Regional Art Gallery © Bathurst Regional Art Gallery
Pablo Picasso, Woman in a multicoloured hat (Tête de femme au chapeau), 1939, Museum Berggruen, Neue Nationalgalerie―Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz © Succession Picasso/Copyright Agency, 2025, photo: © bpk/ Nationalgalerie, SMB, Museum Berggruen/Jens Ziehe
Henri Matisse, Verve IV, no 13 (cover maquette) 1943, Museum Berggruen, Neue Nationalgalerie—Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz. On long-term loan from the Berggruen family © Succession H. Matisse/Copyright Agency 2025
