I recently visited Berlin and was keen to experience the city’s art galleries. I found them to be some of the most exciting gallery spaces I have ever seen.

Hamburger Bahnhof , Berlin (© Alexey Moskvin)

One of them is Hamburger Bahnhof, which was designed by Josef Paul Kleihues, and originally built as the terminal of the Hamburger-Berlin railroad line. At the moment it holds works of more than 150 artists and presents a wide range contemporary art, including painting, photography, installations, sound, performances and readings.

Richard Long Berlin Circle 1996 © the Artist (Photo © Alexey Moskvin)

Richard Long’s Berlin Circle in the main open area was just staggering. Well, it was for me, as I couldn’t have imagined a better space for it. Apart from somewhere out in the wild, of course.

Courtyard KW and Cafe Bravo, Berlin (© Alexey Moskvin)

In the East part of Berlin, since 1997 KW Institute for Contemporary Art has been a venue and partner for the Berlin Biennale. The listed front building dating from the second half of the 18th century has one of the most striking courtyards in central Berlin with two new glass cubes: the Cafe Bravo

The Sony Centre, Berlin (© Alexey Moskvin)

The Sony Centre, at the heart of new Berlin, was designed by Helmut Jahn – a master of glass and steel architecture. His designs are of outstanding quality and excellently implemented and constructed. Imposing offices, apartments, bars and cafes, shops, entertainment and culture spaces encircle a lively open public space, the sky-lit Forum.

Filmhaus at Potsdamer Platz, Berlin (© Alexey Moskvin)

Filmhaus at Potsdamer Platz, Berlin (© Alexey Moskvin)

Part of the Sony Centre is the sleek and uber techy looking Filmhaus and Deutsche Kinemathek. It holds around 13,000 German and foreign silent and sound films in its archive with an emphasis on avant-garde, experimental and documentary films.

Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin (© Alexey Moskvin)

Neue Nationalgalerie, which was designed by Mies van der Rohe is called “temple of light and glass”. It houses the collection of 20th century European painting and sculpture, ranging from early modern art to art of the 1960s. The collection includes works by Munch, Kirchner, Picasso, Klee, Feininger, Dix, Kokoschka, and many others.

Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin (© Alexey Moskvin)

The transparent, spacious, all around glass hall at ground level and the basement gallery space are frequently used for special exhibitions, one of which is the Berlin Biennale.

Space seemed to be not an issue in Berlin at all. There is simply lots of it. And artworks are allocated according their needs, allowed to have their space and can breathe easily. Therefore there is a different feel and approach to work from both artists and audience.

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