The special and epoch museum for Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Functionalism (1889-1939) is internationally oriented. It bears the name of its founder Karl H. Bröhan (1921-2000), who donated his extensive private collection to the state of Berlin on the occasion of his 60th birthday.

The holdings are divided into arts and crafts and fine arts. The rooms illustrate the development from Art Nouveau as a forerunner of Modernism to Art Deco and Functionalism. The museum's porcelain collection is exceptionally rich, with works from the Berlin, Copenhagen, Meissen, Nymphenburg, Sèvres and Rörstrand manufactories.

The collection also includes paintings by the Berlin Secession, including Karl Hagemeister, Willy Jaeckel and Walter Leistikow. Special exhibitions, mostly in cooperation with international institutions, as well as cultural and scientific events complement the permanent collection.