Neue sächsische Galerie

In the location's words:

On the initiative of art historian Werner Ballarin, committed citizens founded what was probably the first art association in the GDR on January 24, 1990. The name and aims of the association were based on the tradition of the first art association in Chemnitz - the "Chemnitzer Kunsthütte", which was founded in 1860 and was an important cultural institution in the growing industrial city at the turn of the century. Under the direction of Friedrich Schreiber-Weigand, the Kunsthütte devoted itself in particular to developments in modern art. The first exhibitions showed works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and helped the expressionist movement to gain recognition. Through targeted acquisitions, the Kunsthütte also laid the foundations for the later art collections of the city of Chemnitz.

In 1996, the association Neue Chemnitzer Kunsthütte e.V. took over the sponsorship of the municipal art collection of the Neue Sächsische Galerie, which has been run as an independent museum but in close cooperation with the association since reunification. Since then, the association has coordinated the museum and organizational tasks of the gallery on a fiduciary basis and has ensured the continuous growth and updating of the collection through acquisitions and donations.

Today, the Neue Sächsische Galerie (NSG) is a museum for contemporary art and at the same time a place of activity for the Neue Chemnitzer Kunsthütte art association, whose foundation is closely linked to civic engagement during the period of reunification. The former Stasi headquarters became a place of free thought and creative work - the Neue Sächsische Galerie. Chemnitz had already developed a lively art scene in the 1970s and 1980s, in which the artistic potential for provocation and the self-determination of artists and viewers was experienced in a new way.

and the viewer were experienced in a new way. The gallery continues this tradition and concentrates on the regional art scene in Saxony, but also on international contemporary positions. It places particular emphasis on aesthetically and intellectually challenging works that provoke discussion. In doing so, it takes up both classical art genres and new media.