MENSCH BERLIN Anniversary exhibition - Celebrate 40 years of art with Stiftung Kunstforum Berliner Volksbank!

The Kunstsammlung der Berliner Volksbank and the Stiftung Kunstforum Berliner Volksbank are celebrating their 40th anniversary. Founded in 1985 in Berlin (West), the collection took on a special position in the West German cultural scene due to its initial focus on GDR art.

Under the leitmotif „Bilder vom Menschen – Bilder für Menschen“ ("Images of People - Images for People"), later expanded to include Berlin cityscapes, the founders built up one of the most important collections of figurative art of the post-war period.

With reunification, the ratio of East and West German art began to equalise. Today, the collection consists of over 1,500 works by around 200 artists. The extraordinary profile of the collection offers the opportunity to compare artistic creation in Berlin and neighbouring regions before and after the fall of the Wall.

The anniversary exhibition MENSCH BERLIN traces this development and builds a bridge from the past to the present. For example, Rainer Fettings' gloomy depictions of the Berlin Wall and Konrad Knebel's sober, melancholy tenement facades convey impressions of a divided city, while more recent positions such as the luminous cityscapes by Roland Nicolaus and Carsten Kaufhold show how the perspective on Berlin has changed.

During its run in Berlin, from 20 February to 22 June 2025, the exhibition will change again and again. By regularly changing the works, you will not only experience the highlights of the collection at the Stiftung Kunstforum Berliner Volksbank, but also rarely shown works. Gain new insights with every visit and look forward to exciting new discoveries and rediscoveries.

MENSCH BERLIN in Vienna
The continuation of the exhibition at the renowned Bank Austria Kunstforum Wien is another highlight of the anniversary year. From 9 July to 31 August 2025, MENSCH BERLIN will be on display in the Austrian capital, taking the cultural heritage of this unique collection beyond the borders of Germany.

The exhibitions include works by:
Gerhard Altenbourg, Annemirl Bauer, Norbert Bisky, Claudia Busching, Rainer Fetting, Ellen Fuhr, Angela Hampel, K. H. Hödicke, Ingeborg Hunzinger, Klaus Killisch, Wolfgang Mattheuer, Harald Metzkes, Cornelia Schleime, Erika Stürmer-Alex, Werner Tübke, Via Lewandowsky, Barbara Quandt and many many more!