Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (, ''Dresden State Art Collections'') is a cultural institution in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, owned by the State of

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a ...

. It is one of the most renowned and oldest museum institutions in the world, originating from the collections of the Saxon electors in the 16th century. Today, the Dresden State Art Collections consists of fifteen museums. Most of them are located in the

Dresden Castle Dresden Castle or Royal Palace (german: Dresdner Residenzschloss or ) is one of the oldest buildings in Dresden, Germany. For almost 400 years, it was the residence of the electors (1547–1806) and kings (1806–1918) of Saxony from the Alber ...

, the

Zwinger "" () is a German word for outer ward or outer bailey. It represents an open kill zone area between two defensive walls that is used for defensive purposes. s were built in the post-classical and early modern periods to improve the defence ...

and the

Albertinum The Albertinum () is a modern art museum. The sandstone-clad Renaissance Revival building is located on Brühl's Terrace in the historic center of Dresden, Germany. It is named after King Albert of Saxony. The Albertinum hosts the New Masters ...

History

The museums belonging to the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden originated from the collections of the Saxon electors, several of whom were also Kings of Poland. Historical sources show that August I, Elector of Saxony, founded the electoral Kunstkammer (literally “art chamber”) in 1560, a collection of art located in the Dresden Castle.

August the Strong Augustus II; german: August der Starke; lt, Augustas II; in Saxony also known as Frederick Augustus I – Friedrich August I (12 May 16701 February 1733), most commonly known as Augustus the Strong, was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as Ki ...

and his son, August III, Kings of Poland, were important patrons and remarkable connoisseurs of the arts. They developed their art collections in a systematic fashion; in the process, they not only provided a foundation of extraordinary masterpieces for the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, but also made these works accessible to select circles in their own time. The Staatliche Kunstsammlungen has been a state-owned enterprise since January 1, 2009. The association includes twelve museums which operate independently within the context of their own collection, but all share various institutions and facilities as well as a central administration.

Museums

Twelve museums belong to the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.

Painting galleries

* Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Painting Gallery),

* Galerie Neue Meister (New Masters Gallery),

* Kupferstich-Kabinett (Collection of Prints, Drawings and Photographs),

Art museums

Grünes Gewölbe The Green Vault (german: Grünes Gewölbe) is a museum located in Dresden, Germany, which contains the largest treasure collection in Europe. The museum was founded in 1723 by Augustus the Strong of Poland and Saxony, and it features a variet ...

(Green Vault) with the Historic and the New Green Vault, Dresden Castle *

Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon The Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon (, ''Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments'') in Dresden, Germany, is a museum of historic clocks and scientific instruments. Its holdings include terrestrial and celestial globes, astronomi ...

(Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments), Zwinger (west wing) * Rüstkammer (Armory) with the Turkish Chamber, Dresden Castle * Porzellansammlung (Porcelain Collection), Zwinger (Glockenspielpavillon) *

Münzkabinett The Münzkabinett (English: Numismatic Cabinet) is part of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden State Art Collections). Founded around 1530, it is one of the oldest museums in Dresden. It is located in Dresden Castle. The Münzkabinet ...

(Numismatic Cabinet or Coin Cabinet), Dresden Castle *

Skulpturensammlung The Skulpturensammlung (English: Sculpture Collection) is part of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden State Art Collections). It is located in the Albertinum in Dresden. The collection of the Dresden Skulpturensammlung ranges in age ...

(Sculpture Collection), Albertinum * Kunstgewerbemuseum (Arts and Crafts Museum), Pillnitz Castle

Ethnographic museums

* State Ethnographical Collections with the

Dresden Museum of Ethnology The Dresden Museum of Ethnology (german: Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden) contains an ethnographic collection with more than 90,000 artefacts from all parts of the earth. It is part of the Dresden State Art Collections. Founded in 1875, the museu ...

in the

Japanese Palace The Japanisches Palais (English: "Japanese Palace") is a Baroque building in Dresden, Saxony, Germany. It is located on the Neustadt bank of the river Elbe. History Built in 1715, it was extended from 1729 until 1731 to house the Japanese po ...

, the

Leipzig Museum of Ethnography The Leipzig Museum of Ethnography (german: Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig) is a large ethnographic museum in Leipzig, Germany, also known as the Grassi Museum of Ethnology. Today it is part of the Grassi Museum, an institution which also i ...

and the Museum of Ethnography

Herrnhut Herrnhut ( Sorbian: ''Ochranow''; cs, Ochranov) is an Upper Lusatian town in the Görlitz district in Saxony, Germany, known for the community of the Moravian Church established by Nicolas Ludwig, Count von Zinzendorf in 1722. Geography It is ...

* Museum für Sächsische Volkskunst and Puppentheatersammlung (Saxon Folk Art Museum and Puppet Theatre Collection), Jägerhof Further institutions, such as the Kunstbibliothek (Art Library), the Kunstfonds (Art Fund) and the Gerhard Richter Archiv (Gerhard Richter Archive) also belong to the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.

Directors

* 1955–1968:

Max Seydewitz Max Seydewitz (December 19, 1892 – February 8, 1987) was a German politician (SPD, SAPD and SED). Between 1947 and 1952 he was the Minister-President of Saxony in the German Democratic Republic. Life Max Seydewitz was born in a small town ...

* 1968–1989:

Manfred Bachmann ''Manfred: A dramatic poem'' is a closet drama written in 1816–1817 by Lord Byron. It contains supernatural elements, in keeping with the popularity of the ghost story in England at the time. It is a typical example of a Gothic fiction. Byr ...

* 1990–1997:

Werner Schmidt Werner Schmidt (born January 18, 1932) is a Canadian former politician, a teacher, and school principal. Political career Schmidt was vice-president of Lethbridge Community College when he was chosen to succeed Harry Strom as leader of the Alb ...

* 1998–2001:

Sybille Ebert-Schifferer Sybille may refer to: *François Sybille (1906–1968), Belgian boxer *Princess Elisabeth Sybille of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1854–1908), the first wife of Duke Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg *Sybille Bammer (born 1980), Austrian tennis player *Sy ...

* 2001–2011: Martin Roth * 2012–March 2016:

Hartwig Fischer Hartwig Fischer (born 14 December 1962) is a German art historian and museum director. Since April 2016, he has been director of the British Museum, the first non-British head of the museum since 1866. From 2012 to 2016, he was director of the D ...

* Since November 2016:

Marion Ackermann Marion may refer to: People *Marion (given name) * Marion (surname) * Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion" * Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992) Places Antarctica * M ...

Locations

The museums of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen are housed in six buildings. With the exception of Pillnitz Castle, they are all located in the historic center of Dresden.

houses the Historic Green Vault (''Historisches Grüne Gewölbe'') and the New Green Vault (''Neues Grüne Gewölbe''), the Numismatic Cabinet (''Münzkabinett''), the Collection of Prints, Drawings and Photographs (''Kupferstich-Kabinett''), and the Armory (''Rüstkammer'') with the Turkish Chamber (''Türckische Cammer''). The

palace contains the Old Masters Picture Gallery (''Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister''), the Porcelain Collection (''Porzellansammlung''), and the Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments (''Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon''). The

hosts the New Masters Gallery (''Galerie Neue Meister'') and the Sculpture Collection (''Skulpturensammlung''). Pillnitz Castle houses the Arts and Crafts Museum (''Kunstgewerbemuseum'') and the

Japanisches Palais The Japanisches Palais (English: "Japanese Palace") is a Baroque building in Dresden, Saxony, Germany. It is located on the Neustadt bank of the river Elbe. History Built in 1715, it was extended from 1729 until 1731 to house the Japanese po ...

the Ethnographical Museum Dresden (''Museum für Völkerkunde''). The Saxon Folk Art Museum and Puppet Theatre Collection (''Museum für Sächsische Volkskunst and Puppentheatersammlung'') can be found in the Jägerhof in Dresden-Neustadt.

Current status

The Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden is owned by the State of

. It is a member of the Konferenz Nationaler Kultureinrichtungen, a union of more than twenty cultural institutions in the

former East Germany The new states of Germany () are the five re-established states of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) that unified with the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) with its 10 states upon German reunification on 3 October 1990. The new s ...

Provenance Research and Restitutions

In the museums of the Dresden State Art Collections, the provenances of all acquisitions of works of art since 1933 are systematically investigated as part of the "Daphne" research, recording and inventory project. In 2020, the SKD restituted three graphic works from the Kupferstich-Kabinett to the family of

Carl Heumann Carl Heumann (19 March 1886 – 5 March 1945) was a German art collector persecuted by the Nazis because of his Jewish origins. Early life Carl Heumann was born on 19 March 1886 in Cologne to Jewish parents. He converted to Protestantism in 191 ...

(1886-1945). Other restitutions are planned, but due to the covid epidemic, the transfer of two watercolor drawings with religious motifs by

Peter Fendi Peter Fendi (4 September 1796 – 28 August 1842) was an Austrian court painter, portrait and genre painter, engraver, and lithographer. He was one of the leading artists of the Biedermeier period. About Peter Fendi was born in Vienna on 4 ...

(1796-1842) and an oil study of a girl with a parrot by Jakob Gensler (1808-1848) to the descendants of the former owner living in the USA and Great Britain have been postponed.

References

External links

Official website
of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden
Virtual Tour
of the Historic Green Vault, Turkish Chamber, Porcelain Collection, Old Masters Painting Gallery (English version upper right) {{Authority control