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| Cézanne to Giacometti: highlights from Museum Berggruen / Neue Nationalgalerie, installation view |
For the first time, the National Gallery of Australia's (NGA) winter blockbuster exhibition presents a rare opportunity to see works from Germany's Museum Berggruen, including iconic pieces from Cézanne and Giacometti.
The exhibition charts the dynamic transformations in European and Australian art of the twentieth century.
In this exhibition, there are a lot of Picassos; the Museum's Picasso collection stems from the legacy of notable art collector Heinz Berggruen (1914–2007). Having spent over fifty years in Paris, Berggruen, a Berlin native, cultivated relationships with contemporary artists, and through his acquisitions, he has created a truly singular collection.
This is the seventh stop for this travelling exhibition, as the gallery is closed for renovations. It’s been to places like Paris, Venice, Tokyo, Shanghai, and other locations, but the NGA is the only stop in our region. It has already attracted over one million visitors.
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| Sanné Mestrom with part of The Whole is Greater than the Sum of Her Parts, 2025. |
Museum Berggruen's modernist works, spanning over a century, are put into conversation with Australian artworks in this exhibition. There are more than 80 works from Berggruen and 75 from Australia that speak to one another through the voice of modernism. Many of the Australian artists in this exhibition travelled to Europe and worked alongside their contemporaries to create a radically new approach to painting.
There are 12 rooms dedicated to artists and styles where visitors can focus on specific artists and see highlights of their output. Plus, there is a special engagement space with installations by Australian conceptual artist Sanné Mestrom. It’s titled The Whole is Greater than the Sum of Her Parts. It’s a dedicated interactive space, which the kids will love.
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| Alberto Giacometti, Tall nude standing III (Grande femme debout III), 1960 (cast 1981) and Slim woman without arms (Femme mince sans bras) 1959‒60. |
As an art lover, this exhibition takes me to the heart of why I am passionate about art. It has works I’ve so long admired, and to be up close to them, well, that’s an eye-opening experience I thought I might never have. Plus, there are Australian paintings I have never seen before, too, like the Russell Drysdale work titled Composition, 1937, which seems to have been inspired by Cézanne’s Small Bathers, 1897.
Then, there are the stunning works by Alberto Giacometti. His large bronze cast, Tall nude standing III, 1960, is the star of the show. It stands in the semi-darkened last room of the exhibition. It catches the light from the previous area, and it is gobsmackingly awe-inspiring as it stands in the centre of its space. It’s like an alien form.
It is something you can only feel and experience when in its presence. The idea of his artworks alone is something that changes the way you feel and think about the human form.
To see all this art from this period, all in one gallery, is nothing short of sensational. It offers an excellent overview of modernism as it lays out the period on the journey through the exhibition.
The show contains an audio tour, gallery talks, special events and a full-colour catalogue.
Cézanne to Giacometti: highlights from Museum Berggruen runs until September 21, 2025.
