Kupferstichkabinett unveils major art donation from Christoph Müller at Gemäldegalerie

20 mai 2025

Kupferstichkabinett unveils major art donation from Christoph Müller at Gemäldegalerie

BERLIN.- A significant gift of over 200 works of art from the Christoph Müller Foundation will go on display starting May 20, 2025, at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin. Titled "This is all me! The Christoph Müller Donation," the special presentation by the Kupferstichkabinett (Museum of Prints and Drawings) celebrates the legacy of Christoph Müller (1938–2024), a renowned art collector and patron often referred to as a "Robin Hood of Art."

Müller, who transitioned from a career as a publisher to become a dedicated art collector and patron, was known for his generous support of numerous German museums through gifts and facilitated acquisitions. He maintained a particularly close relationship with the Berlin Kupferstichkabinett, where he admired former director Max J. Friedländer and established a prize in his name. This new donation follows a previous gift of over 240 drawings and 130 prints of Dutch art in 2007.

The latest gift comprises over 200 high-quality works spanning European art history from the 16th to the 21st century. The diverse range of subjects and styles within the collection is said to reflect Müller's own wide-ranging interests as an enthusiastic collector.

The exhibition, located in a dedicated cabinet room within the Gemäldegalerie at the Kulturforum, will showcase selections from the donation through a series of changing thematic presentations. These rotations will offer insights into the collector's varied passions and interests, featuring portraits, plant studies, landscapes, history paintings, and genre scenes.

The planned thematic presentations include:

• World of Words and Images (May 20 – August 24, 2025): Explores the connection between art, literature, knowledge, and intellectual exchange, referencing Müller's background as a publisher and critic.

• Encounters (August 26 – November 30, 2025): Focuses on human relationships, social gatherings, and individual portrayal, reflecting Müller's sociable character.

• About Traveling and Being Home (December 2, 2025 – March 8, 2026): Features landscapes, seascapes, and city views that capture the experience of travel, arrival, familiarity, and longing.

The exhibition also serves as a tribute to Christoph Müller, who passed away in 2024 at the age of 86, acknowledging his significant contribution to the arts. Following the exhibition, all donated works will be accessible in the study room of the Kupferstichkabinett and will be made available online for public and research access, fulfilling Müller's wish to enable new discoveries and the enjoyment of art.

The special presentation, described as "Work on paper and life's work," is organized by the Kupferstichkabinett within the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, located at the Gemäldegalerie in the Kulturforum.

Abraham Bloemaert (Dutch, 1564-1651), Saint Candida and Saint Gelasia, 1611, pen and brown ink with green wash heightened with white © Christoph Müller Stiftung / Kilian Beutel

Alexandre Ubelesqui (French, 1649-1718), Perseus and Andromeda, c. 1759-63, red chalk and black chalk, red and grey wash; Photo: Christoph Müller Stiftung / Kilian Beutel

Jean-Jacques de Boissieu (French, 1736-1810), Bust of an Older Man, 1779, pen in brown ink; Photo: Christoph Müller Foundation / Kilian Beutel.

Johann Heinrich Lips (Swiss, 1758-1817), Johann Caspar Lavater, shown reading, c. 1789, hand-coloured outline copper engraving © Christoph Müller Stiftung / Kilian Beutel

Anton Graff (Swiss, 1736-1813), Tree study, 1798, red chalk over preliminary drawing with graphite pencil; Photo: Christoph Müller Foundation / Kilian Beutel

Caroline Friederike Friedrich (German, 1749–1815), Flowers, c. 1800-15, watercolour and opaque paint on brown uncoated paper, Photo: Christoph Müller Foundation / Kilian Beutel

Georg Friedrich Kersting (German, 1785-1847), Portrait of Carl August Böttiger, c. 1829, watercolor; Photo: Christoph Müller Foundation / Kilian Beutel

Johann Barthold Jongkind (Dutch, 1819-1891), Landscape with mill and boat, 1845, watercolor over preparatory drawing in black pencil; Photo: Christoph Müller Foundation / Kilian Beutel