Freunde der Nationalgalerie e.V.
Our mission is to increase the scope for action of the Nationalgalerie in times of scarce public funding.
The history of the "Freunde der Nationalgalerie" began with a passion for the visual arts, a desire to take risks and the enthusiasm of the founding members - and they continue to shape the actions of the Friends to this day.
Since 1977, the "Freunde der Nationalgalerie" have been a key supporter of the work of the Nationalgalerie in Berlin.
The aim of the Friends is to increase the scope for action of the Nationalgalerie and its six museums in times of scarce public funding. The annual membership fees make a significant contribution to maintaining the Nationalgalerie as a lively, innovative institution that reflects the production of art from the 19th century to the present day in numerous exhibition projects and collection presentations and communicates this to a broad public.
However, one thing is always important: it is not the friends who decide whether classical or contemporary art, whether established or new, will move into the Nationalgalerie's six buildings. It is the decision of those artistically responsible, it is the wish of the directors that determines what we do. For this is an unbroken principle, the "basic law" under which the association was founded and still operates today: Nothing may be exhibited or acquired by the Friends that does not correspond to the wishes of the directors.
The National Gallery (German: Nationalgalerie) in Berlin, Germany, is a museum for art of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. It is part of the Berlin State Museums. From the Alte Nationalgalerie, which was built for it and opened in 1876, its exhibition space has expanded to include five other locations. The museums are part of the Berlin State Museums, owned by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation.