Neue Nationalgalerie

The Neue Nationalgalerie was designed by Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe in Berlin in 1964. As the name suggests it was intended to be used as a gallery for contemporary art however its design never lent itself to this purpose. Mies designed this building in response to his personal feelings on Berlin, its identity and its future. The building consists of floor to ceiling glass windows on each of the external walls, the interior has no walls (how were paintings meant to be displayed?) Mies wanted to create a public space that was free, open and see through, he his quoted as saying "it was a universal space " This was obviously his response to the Berlin wall , which 20 years after the war separated and divided a city blocking the view from one place to another stumping and inhibiting growth and freedom. Mies design although not successful in its original purpose, stands today as it did when it was built as strong opposition to the restraints imposed on people by design put in place to try and force a sense of restrained identity.