The Neue Nationalgalerie displays art of the 20th and 21st centuries. Special exhibitions of contemporary art can be seen in the upper, glass hall, while the collection is presented in the spacious basement. The building, which opened in 1968, was designed by Mies van der Rohe.

The collection includes painting and sculpture from Classical Modernism to the 1960s. Cubism, Constructivism, Dada, and Bauhaus painting are represented with high-profile examples. German Expressionism is a focal point, with works by "Brücke" - including Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's "Potsdamer Platz" - and works by Max Beckmann, Otto Dix, George Grosz and Oskar Kokoschka.

Works by the artist groups COBRA, "Spur" and Zero as well as Informel and Nouveau Réalisme show how art developed in the 1950s and early 1960s. Another focus is on American color field painting by Frank Stella and Ellsworth Kelly, Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman. Art from the GDR is represented more diversely than in any other museum. The collection also includes sculptures on the museum's terrace and garden.

On August 22, 2021, the Neue Nationalgalerie was reopened after extensive renovation work.