BERLIN.- In 2026, the Alte Nationalgalerie honours Paul Cassirer (1871–1926), one of the most important art dealers of his time. The occasion is both the 100th anniversary of Cassirer's death and the 150th anniversary of the Alte Nationalgalerie building on Museumsinsel Berlin. The Nationalgalerie's collection is linked to Cassirer's work in many ways. The exhibition showcases Paul Cassirer's impressive commitment to art through more than 120 works of Impressionism and classical modernism.

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In 2026, the Alte Nationalgalerie honours Paul Cassirer (1871–1926), one of the most important art dealers of his time. The occasion marks both the 100th anniversary of Cassirer’s death and the 150th anniversary of the Alte Nationalgalerie building on Museumsinsel Berlin, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The National Gallery’s collection is linked in many ways to his work. Through over 120 works of Impressionism and classical modernism, the exhibition showcases Paul Cassirer’s impressive commitment to art.

With his exceptionally packed exhibition programme, the Berlin-based gallery owner Paul Cassirer played a key role in promoting Impressionism. From his gallery on Viktoriastraße in Berlin’s Tiergarten district, he forged close ties with France. Artists such as Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet and Auguste Renoir gained greater recognition in the German-speaking world through him. By presenting their works, including, for example, Monet’s Peach Vase (c. 1866, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Albertinum) and Degas’s Orchestra Musicians (1872, Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main), the art dealer of Jewish origin had a lasting impact on the German cultural landscape and sparked passionate public debate. Although the establishment of Impressionism was not his only achievement, it was certainly one of the most enduring.

Here it becomes particularly clear what methods and strategies Cassirer employed and how successful he was with them. Numerous key works found their way into important German collections and museums through his mediation, including the holdings of the Nationalgalerie, such as Renoir’s In Summer (1868, Alte Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin).

One of Cassirer’s most significant and lucrative discoveries was Vincent van Gogh. Thanks to his contact with Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, he was able to exhibit Van Gogh’s works repeatedly and in large numbers, including the Self-Portrait (1887, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam – Vincent van Gogh Foundation), which was displayed a total of five times at Cassirer’s Berlin and Hamburg branches.

Paul Cassirer was also a champion of German Impressionism. Max Liebermann, Max Slevogt and Lovis Corinth were regular guests, as were the younger artists of the Berlin Secession. By taking over the management of the Secession, Cassirer had a significant influence on its profile and contributed to its international orientation. It was on his initiative that important works found their way into the association’s exhibitions, including Renoir’s Lise with a Parasol (1867, Museum Folkwang, Essen). Cassirer’s contact with the Nationalgalerie and its director Hugo von Tschudi was arranged by Liebermann. In the years that followed, Tschudi made numerous purchases through the Kunstsalon, including, as his first acquisition, Liebermann’s Schusterwerkstatt (1881/82, Alte Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin). This alliance between a progressive museum director and an art dealer with an international network was of crucial importance for the visibility of modern art in Berlin.

At the same time, Cassirer promoted Edvard Munch and August Gaul, significant pioneers of classical modernism, while the young avant-garde—including Ernst Barlach, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Oskar Kokoschka, and Gabriele Münter—also found a place in his gallery’s program. The exhibition traces this exceptionally far-sighted commitment and highlights Paul Cassirer as a pivotal mediator between art, the market, and the public. The exhibition focuses on the period of the Kunstsalon from 1898 to 1926, thus covering Paul Cassirer’s lifetime. After his death, his business partners Grete Ring and Walter Feilchenfeldt continued to run the business; exhibition activities ceased in 1933 following the National Socialists’ rise to power.

Aimée Paret, great-granddaughter of Paul Cassirer: “We are very grateful to the Alte Nationalgalerie for honoring Paul Cassirer’s legacy with this exhibition, 100 years after his death. My brother and our three cousins have all traveled here from the U.S. specifically for this occasion—the entire generation of great-grandchildren will be present at the opening. We were happy to contribute to the exhibition and are curious to see what awaits us here.”

The exhibition is curated by Josephine Klinger. Co-curator and project director: Franziska Lietzmann.

A richly illustrated catalog accompanying the exhibition will be published in German and English by HIRMER Verlag, edited by Anette Hüsch, Josephine Klinger, and Franziska Lietzmann on behalf of the Alte Nationalgalerie. 264 pages, 208 illustrations, ISBN 978-3-7774-4759-9, €38 (German edition), €40 (English edition).


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