The Collections of the Kunsthalle Hamburg

The Old Masters collection focuses on four areas in particular: North German Art around 1400, Dutch painting of the 17th century, Italian painting from 1350 to 1800 and French painting of the 17th to 18th century. Paintings by Old Masters can be seen such as Rembrandt, Lucas Cranach the Elder and Rubens. The gallery of the 19th century is one of the most important collections of this period, beginning with works by Romantic artists and closing with German Impressionism. Here can be found paintings by artists such as Paul Cezanne, Claude Monet and Edouard Manet.

The outstanding collection of classic modern art has works by Max Beckmann and Edvard Munch. Also hanging in the gallery are works by the "Blauer Reiter" and the "Brücke" groups considered during the Nazi period to be "degenerate"; some works from this time have vanished. Further highlights are Dutch paintings from the 17th century, with works by Rembrandt and Ruisdael, paintings of the German Romantic period with a comprehensive group of works by Caspar David Friedrich and Philipp Otto Runge, and important works by Adolph Menzel and Max Liebermann.

Since that time, the Kunsthalle Hamburg has endeavoured constantly to expand this collection. Also to be found in the Kunsthalle Hamburg are a media collection, a collection of copper engravings and the "Galerie der Gegenwart" which exhibits art from 1960 to the present. In addition to the collection, Hamburger Kunsthalle receives international attention with its prestigious special exhibitions which attract thousands of Hamburg visitors each year.