Berlin’s Top Collectors Are Opening Their Art-Filled Private Spaces to the Public for One Special Night

Have you ever dreamed of seeing inside the homes and spaces of top contemporary art collectors? Then get yourself to Berlin next week.

A group of the city’s most prominent collectors are opening up their art-filled spaces for a special, late-night event this month. By joining forces, they hope to not only make their art more accessible, but also debunk the myth that the German capital is home to just a small handful of significant contemporary art collectors.

A dozen collectors, including Christian and Karen Boros, Julia Stoschek, and Désiré Feuerle, are taking part in the inaugural event next Friday, August 23. During the newly christened Collection Night Berlin, all participating spaces will be open from the early evening until midnight, with several organizing special programs. Wartime bunkers, a 19th-century ballroom, and a historic private villa are among the venues that will be accepting visitors.

“Our idea was to create a common initiative for the public between the city’s collections,” says Juliet Kothe, director of the Boros Collection and co-initiator of the inaugural event. “Berlin is not typically known for having a strong art market, but we are actually one of the few places in Germany that has such a wealth of private collections that are also often accessible to the public,” she says.

The Boros Collection, Installation view with work by He Xiangyu. Photo © NOSHE

The event is a pilot to test the demand for late-night openings of the city’s private collections. Usually, such events are timed to coincide with citywide initiatives, such as Gallery Weekend Berlin in April and Berlin Art Week in mid-September. But the collectors are keen to turn Collection Night Berlin into an independent initiative if they determine it has enough appeal on its own.

Some collections are extending their usual hours, while others, like the Haubrok Foundation, are opening their doors to the public for the first time. Haubrok will be hosting a one-night exhibition of works by the recently deceased American artist Joyce Pensato that aims to evoke her legendarily messy New York studio.

Julian Rosefeldt, Deep Gold,( 2013/2014.) Courtesy: Sammlung Wemhöner © Julian
Rosefeldt und VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2019.

Meanwhile, collector Ulrich Seibert will present his unusual collection of Pop-Surrealist and Pop-Comic Surrealist art, which is not typically open for public viewings. Visitors can also get a pre-renovation peek at the future home of the Wemhöner Collection, which is due to officially open in a 19th-century ballroom in two years. For one evening, it will host a screening of Julian Rosefeldt’s film Deep Gold (2013–14), which explores the decadence of 1920s Berlin.

Also that evening, the German publishing house DISTANZ will unveil a new book called PRIVATE ACCESS. The pocket-sized guidebook provides a glimpse into around 90 private museums across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, including details about how to visit them and other insider tips. It will be presented Lapidarium am Landwehrkanal (Hallesches Ufer 78, 10963 Berlin).

Most of the collections will be open from 5 p.m. until midnight, though registration may be necessary for certain collections. For more information, click here.

See the spaces taking part in the inaugural Berlin Collection Night below.

The Bergmeier Collection

Michael Müller Monster, (2016/2017). Installation view, Galerie du Monde, Hong Kong, 2018. Photo: Kitmin Lee
Courtesy Sammlung Bergmeier and the artist.

Boros Collection

Boros Collection, exterior Bunker. Foto: © NOSHE

The Feuerle Collection

The Feuerle Collection. exterior, Photo: def image © The Feuerle Collection

Haubrok Foundation

Joyce Pensato’s studio 2018 (detail). Courtesy: Haubrok Collection. Photo credit: Haubrok Collection

Kienzle Art Foundation

Exhibition “Gaming – the system,” with Malte Frey und Julian Reiser at Kienzle Art Foundation Photo: Eric Tschernow.

Me Collectors Room / The Olbricht Foundation

The Cabinet of Curiosities. Olbricht © me Collectors Room Berlin, Stiftung Olbricht, Photo Daisy Loewl.

Rocca Foundation

ROCCA Stiftung. Photo: Kerstin Müller.

Ulrich Seibert Collection

Oranienburgerstrasse 32 Heckmannhöfe 1. OG 10117 Berlin

Sammlung Ulrich Seibert, Installation view.

Julia Stoschek Collection

Julia Stoschek, with Kill-Wallpaper, (2003) by Sturtevant. Photo courtesy Şirin Şimşek.

Wemhöner Collection

Sammlung Wemhöner © Courtesy Sammlung Wemhöner, Foto Ingo Heine

Collection Ivo Wessel

Collection Ivo Wessel. Bjørn Melhus, Auto Center Drive, 2003. Courtesy Collection Ivo Wessel

Wurlitzer Pied a Terre Collection

Mohrenstrasse 61 10117 Berlin

Roman Ondak. Credit: Courtesy the artist and Esther Schipper, Berlin. Photo © Jens Ziehe.