A Sunday Afternoon at the Alte Nationalgalerie

We haven't been able to get out much for the past couple of months because our cat has been having some health issues which has taken constant care and most of our spending money. But last Sunday he was doing well enough that we decided to take a few hours to make use of our Jahreskarte für die Berliner Museen (annual pass for the Berlin state museums).

Despite a very rainy morning, the day turned beautiful and sunny before we arrived at Museum Island in the afternoon. Walking from the train at Hackescher Markt to the Spree, we passed a bunch of anime cosplayers having a party in a park, and many tourists and locals enjoying the sun. We had set our sights on the famous Pergamon Museum, but there was a massive 2-hour line. We tried to get the security guard to wave us through with our Jahreskarte but apparently only the elite pass holders were allowed to skip the line.

But, we were next to half a dozen other museums, so it wasn't a problem. We ducked into the neighboring Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery), which is housed in a dramatic Prussian building. It contains galleries of paintings and some sculpture, most of which was from the 1800s, with emphasis on German artists. Below are links a few of the pieces we liked:

Wilhelm Gentz, Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia enters Jerusalem, 1869

Osman Hamdi Bey, Persian Carpet Dealer on the Street, or The Carpet Seller, 1888

Arthur Kampf, Boy in Red, 1907

Sabine Lepsius, Self Portrait, 1885

Anton von Werner, A Billet Outside Paris, 1894

Adolph Menzel, The Dinner at the Ball, 1878

Berlin had been a bit breezy and there's a fall chill on the air, so this sunny Sunday was wonderful and made us feel that summer isn't quite over. We had a great time. And we were again so happy to have these annual museum passes that allow us to see amazing art on a whim!

Here are a few photos from the day!