Kunsthalle im Lipsiusbau

Description

The Kunsthalle in the Lipsius-Bau is one of the exhibition venues of the Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden and serves as a platform for special exhibitions, with a focus on contemporary art. It is housed in the domed Lipsius-Bau on the Brühlsche Terrasse, a building that also accommodates the Hochschule für Bildende Künste Dresden. The Kunsthalle occupies an eastern side wing that is set at roughly a 45-degree angle to the other parts of the building and lies immediately adjacent to the Albertinum. On the northeast side the Brühlsche Terrasse opens onto the Jungfernbastei; on the southeast side it opens onto Georg‑Treu‑Platz, with access to the Museum Festung Dresden.

The Kunsthalle was built during the construction phase from 1887 to 1894 as part of the historicist Lipsius‑Bau; façade details such as an elaborately designed tympanum and a high gable characterize the style. Before its destruction in the air raids on Dresden it served as the exhibition building of the Sächsischen Kunstvereins, which existed until 1945; as early as 1905 works by the artists' group Brücke were presented here. During the DDR‑Zeit the partially destroyed hall remained unused. After reunification it was rebuilt; in October 2005 the Kunsthalle was reopened under the sponsorship of the Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden with the exhibition "Der Blick auf Dresden". In the restoration process a deliberate decision was made to make traces of the destruction visible; for this design choice the project received the 2007 Architekturpreis „Nike“ in the category „Detailvollkommenheit“.