Old Masters in Berlin

On the Old Masters and Their Significance for Contemporary Art

Berlin holds its own among the world’s leading art metropolises – yet often overlooked is the fact that it houses an Old Masters collection to rival the Louvre in Paris, the Prado in Madrid, or London’s National Gallery.

Art historian Thomas González invites you to gaze upon this world – taking you on a personalized, singular, and extraordinary museum tour that brings art history to life in an accessible and contemporary manner, ideal for art enthusiasts, creatives, and aspiring artists.

A Journey Through 800 Years of Singular Masterpieces

Berlin boasts paintings that most international museums would envy: by Dürer, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Rubens, Rembrandt, and Vermeer – artists whose paintings have been world-famous for centuries; and inaccessible to the market for years.

Standing before these priceless pieces, you will embark on a journey through 800 years of the history of painting. With Thomas as your expert guide, you’ll look both backwards and forwards from these unique vantage points, tracing the origins of panel painting back as far as 1200, marvelling at the works before you, while noting the foundations of modern art evident in the techniques of these household names of the medium.

With the Old Masters Lies the Key to Modernity

What seems radical by today’s standards of modernity is often already present in the Old Masters: in fact, the techniques, skills, and craft evinced in these works holds the key to understanding modern art.

Thomas makes these subtleties clear to you throughout your artistic odyssey: a trained art historian and experienced museum guide, he will convey complex concepts in a simple, engaging, and captivating way – even for beginners with no prior knowledge. In addition, tours in both German and/or English tours are available to illuminate these works across two languages.

Your Artistic Odyssey Begins

Your first meeting point is the Tea Lounge at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Potsdamer Platz. In these evocative and elevated settings, you will meet your host Thomas, and receive a brief introduction to the tour's themes over a beverage of your choice.

Refreshed, you will walk from the Ritz-Carlton along Potsdamer Straße to the Gemäldegalerie (Picture Gallery). Along the way, you will pass two of Berlin’s famous cultural institutions – the Neue Nationalgalerie (New National Gallery) and the Philharmonie (Philharmonic Hall) – where Thomas will explain the changing relationships of these important buildings to the city of Berlin both before and since reunification.

Navigating the Old Masters

Entering the Gemäldegalerie, you will then explore major works of European art history together. Thomas’ guided tours designed as a compact crash course in Art History – and take place directly before each artwork, focusing on what elements are truly important: speaking to and for participants’ own perceptions and personalized impressions of these works. Before these singular masterpieces, your own individual responses, questions, and ideas are most welcome.

The Final Frame

To conclude your journey, you will dine together at the Michelin-starred restaurant Irma la Douce. Over lunch, participants will get to know each other better, discuss impressions of the museum, and receive personal tips for your remaining time in Berlin from Thomas.

This program is designed for anyone who loves art or is curious about world-renowned paintings while simultaneously understanding the fundamentals of European Art History, tracing a clear path from the past to the modern techniques of contemporary art today.