The new Pavilion to the east of Charlottenburg Palace was built in 1824-25 for King Frederick William III from designs by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Modelled on a Neapolitan villa, this Neo-Classical building was used by the monarch as a private summer retreat. Completely destroyed except for the outer walls during the Second World War, the pavilion was rebuilt in 1957-60, and since 1970 has displayed exquisite works of art from the Schinkel era.
In 2011, following a complete refurbishment of the New Pavilion, the exhibition was redesigned. Three rooms on the ground floor were furnished in keeping with the historical inventory and impart an authentic feel for the royal summer residence from the time of Frederick William III. Adjacent rooms display examples of Berlin portraiture and of early 19th Century Venetian ‘veduta’ painting as well as depictions of the Middle Ages in the art of that period.
On the upper floor, the work and influence of Karl Friedrich Schinkel as an architect, painter and designer of arts and crafts objects is documented. There are also a number of excellent paintings by his contemporaries such as Caspar David Friedrich, Eduard Gaertner and Karl Blechen, ranging from Romanticism to Realism.