Das alles bin ich! Die Schenkung Christoph Müller IV Blatt- und Lebenswerk

In the organizer's words:

The exhibition "Das alles bin ich" presents the generous donation of around 200 works by art collector Christoph Müller to the Kupferstichkabinett. The works on paper - drawings, prints and watercolors - not only present a broad panorama of pictorial themes spanning five centuries, but above all reflect the personal interests and influences of the collector. Four consecutive presentations will each highlight one facet of the collection. The presentation from March 10, 2026 will focus on the diversity of the artist's engagement with nature.

Portraits and plant studies, harbor and history paintings, landscapes and genre scenes - this exhibition shows the entire spectrum of an extraordinary collection. With works from the early modern period to the present day, a fascinating cross-section of European art history unfolds. The works on paper on display come from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and France - they tell of man and nature, of history and the everyday, of faith, emotion and creative power. On display are depictions of figures and nudes, seascapes, nature studies, animals, forests and much more.

Part of the generous donation will be presented to the public from May 20, 2025 to June 14, 2026 in four changing exhibitions in the cabinet in the Gemäldegalerie. The first presentation, "World of Words and Pictures" from May 20 to August 24, 2025, made reference to Müller's activities as a publisher and critic as well as his passion for art and collecting. "Encounters", from August 26 to November 30, 2025, was dedicated to the depiction of people and their relationships. The third presentation, entitled "On Traveling and Being at Home", showed a selection of the most beautiful landscape depictions from 2 December 2025 to 8 March 2026. The last part of the presentations will be shown from March 10, 2026:

Leaf and Life's Work

March 10 to June 14, 2026

Animals, plants, trees and forests - a wealth of graphic sheets, drawings and watercolors reflect the diversity of artistic engagement with nature. In art, depictions of nature serve, for example, as a source of knowledge, to preserve beauty or as a mirror of divine creation. Nature and animal studies bear witness to close observation and the desire to understand and capture the world around us. In some works, nature has a symbolic character: as a symbol of growth, transience and life. It is also a place where people connect with themselves and the world.

Past presentations

A world of words and images

May 20 to August 24, 2025

Encounters

August 26 to November 30, 2025

About traveling and being at home

December 2, 2025 to March 8, 2026

About the collector Christoph Müller

Christoph Müller (1938-2024) was a German publisher, theater and art critic, art collector and patron who made generous donations to public museums during his lifetime. As editor-in-chief and co-publisher of the Schwäbisches Tagblatt, he shaped the German media landscape from 1969 to 2004. His passion for art is reflected in his impressive collection, which includes works from different eras and regions. He collected in many different ways, individually guided by personal preferences, but also by profound connoisseurship.

He was particularly interested in Dutch art of the 16th and 17th centuries. As early as 2007, he donated an important collection of 370 Dutch and Flemish drawings and graphic sheets from the 16th to 18th centuries to the Kupferstichkabinett. The donation, which is to be realized this year, will sustainably supplement and enrich the Kupferstichkabinett's holdings in all areas of the collection.

Christoph Müller died in Berlin in 2024 at the age of 86. The exhibition is intended as a tribute to his art-promoting work, as a sign of gratitude and as an invitation to share the joy of art - an idea that always drove him.

Team of curators

The exhibition was conceived jointly by the curators of the Kupferstichkabinett:

Dr. Dagmar Korbacher, Director and Curator of Italian Art and French Art before 1800
Dr. Mailena Mallach, curator for German art before 1800
Dr. Christien Melzer, curator for Dutch and English art before 1800
Dr. Andreas Schalhorn, Curator for Modern Art
Dr. Anna Pfäfflin, curator for the 19th century
Claudia Lojack, Scientific Museum Assistant (retired)

A special exhibition of the Kupferstichkabinett in the Gemäldegalerie of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Price information:

Admission to the Picture Gallery: €14.00, concessions €7.00; free admission for children and young people up to and including the age of 18.