In an Australian first, rarely seen works of art from one of Germany’s most significant modern art museums will be shown in a new exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia.

Curated in partnership with Berlin’s Museum Berggruen, Cézanne to Giacometti: Highlights from Museum Berggruen/Neue Nationalgalerie will display works from some of art history’s best-known artists, including Cézanne, Braque, Giacometti, Klee, Matisse and Picasso. On display from 31 May to 21 September, alongside works from Australia’s national collection, the exhibition will feature over 170 works of art.

Paul Cézanne, Portrait of Madame Cézanne, c 1885, Museum Berggruen, Museum Berggruen, Neue Nationalgalerie—Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz. On long term loan from the Berggruen family. Photo: ©bpk/ Nationalgalerie, SMB, Museum Berggruen/Jens Ziehe

“By partnering with Berlin’s Museum Berggruen to bring this major project to fruition, we place Australia’s national collection within an international context. Cézanne to Giacometti is a unique opportunity for Australian audiences to experience rarely seen works by some of the world’s best-known artists, alongside and in conversation with, the art of significant Australian modernists,” says Director of National Gallery of Australia, Dr Nick Mitzevich.

Examining how the revolutionary ideas of modern art spread and drove developments in the 20th century, the exhibition will showcase the deep connections between European and Australian modernism.

John Passmore, Bathers, 1950 – 1954, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1959, © Elinor Wrobel OAM Trustee

“We are excited to share the masterpieces of the Museum Berggruen / Neue Nationalgalerie collection in Berlin with the National Gallery of Australia while Museum Berggruen is closed for major renovations. This collaboration enables our collection to be experienced by new audiences in a broader context and allows us to explore the rich exchange of ideas that shaped modern art across continents,” says Director of Museum Berggruen, Dr Gabriel Montua.

Tickets for Cézanne to Giacometti are now on sale.