Berlin occupies a distinctive position in the international art market. Unlike London, Paris, or New York, where real estate pressures and institutional weight shape the gallery landscape, Berlin has developed its commercial art scene on terms that remain relatively accessible and idiosyncratic. The city's galleries range from internationally networked operations with spaces in multiple countries to smaller, highly focused rooms serving a more local or specialist audience. What unites them is a shared ecosystem that has matured considerably since the reunification era, when cheap rents and creative freedom drew artists and dealers alike into districts like Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg, and Charlottenburg. Today that geography is more settled, the stakes are higher, and the exhibitions are increasingly positioned within a global programme.
The annual Gallery Weekend Berlin, now in its 22nd edition and scheduled to run from 1 to 3 May 2026, remains the central commercial and social event on the calendar. This year 50 participating galleries will present over 80 artistic positions across 63 locations, with artists from more than 30 countries represented. A new sector called Perspectives debuts in 2026, inviting a rotating selection of galleries to present extraordinary exhibition projects and outstanding artistic positions. The event is a private initiative of Berlin galleries, organised by abc gwb UG, and participation is by invitation only, meaning the line-up functions as something of an informal quality filter for the city's commercial sector.
What follows is a guide to the principal private galleries currently operating in Berlin, with details on their programmes, addresses, and exhibitions open in 2026.
Galerie Max Hetzler
One of Berlin's most prominent commercial galleries, Galerie Max Hetzler has roots going back to its founding in Stuttgart in 1974. The Berlin operation now runs across three spaces. Its Potsdamer Straße location sits alongside several other major galleries in that part of Tiergarten, while the Charlottenburg spaces on Bleibtreustraße and Goethestraße tend to house a different range of programming. The gallery's roster includes historically important and market-tested names alongside a number of mid-career and younger artists.
Barry Flanagan's exhibition On the other hand was shown at the Bleibtreustraße 45 location from 23 January to 28 February 2026, while a group exhibition titled On Paper ran at Goethestraße 2/3 through 7 March 2026. For Gallery Weekend in May 2026, the gallery will present exhibitions by Darren Almond, Vivien Zhang, and a group show titled The Self Assessed. Works available from the gallery include those by Thomas Struth, Katharina Grosse, and Leilah Babirye, among many others on the roster.
Sprüth Magers
With galleries located in Berlin Mitte, London's Mayfair, the Miracle Mile in Los Angeles, and Manhattan, New York, Sprüth Magers is dedicated to exhibiting modern and contemporary art. The Berlin space is at Oranienburger Straße 18 in Mitte. The gallery has long represented a constellation of significant figures spanning conceptual and post-conceptual work, with strong representation of artists from North America and Europe.
Two exhibitions are currently running in Berlin through to April 2026: Kara Walker's Dispatches from A— and the Museum of Half-remembered Histories and Gretchen Bender's Political Entertainment, both running from 14 November 2025 to 4 April 2026. For Gallery Weekend in May, Thomas Demand, Robert Elfgen, and Martine Syms will all be exhibiting at the gallery. Works currently available from the gallery include Kara Walker's Magician – After the Original (2024), a patinated bronze on custom pedestal, and vintage silver gelatin prints by Bernd & Hilla Becher — both available to inquire about for price and availability.
Esther Schipper
Esther Schipper is one of Berlin's most internationally respected galleries, with additional spaces in Paris, New York, and Seoul. The gallery recently announced the representation of Saâdane Afif, in collaboration with Mehdi Chouakri. The Berlin space is at Potsdamer Straße 81E, in the same stretch of Tiergarten that has become something of a gallery corridor.
The gallery presented a group exhibition, Winter 2026, from 20 January to 28 February 2026. For Gallery Weekend in May, Tauba Auerbach and Celeste Rapone will both be showing at the gallery. Works available from the gallery include Ann Veronica Janssens's Atlantic (2020–2023), a work in hammered glass measuring 184.6 x 184.6 cm, available on request for price and availability. An art fair appearance is confirmed for late March 2026. The gallery also represents artists including Rosa Barba, Philippe Parreno, Angela Bulloch, Pierre Huyghe, and Anri Sala.
https://www.estherschipper.com
neugerriemschneider
neugerriemschneider operates from two Berlin locations — Christinenstraße 18–19 in Mitte and Linienstraße 155 — and has represented some of the most significant artists of the last three decades, including Olafur Eliasson, with whom it recently marked 30 years of collaboration. The gallery also works with Ai Weiwei, Jorge Pardo, and Pae White, among others.
Ho Tzu Nyen's first solo exhibition with the gallery, titled 2 stories: voids & times, ran from 12 September 2025 through 21 March 2026, featuring two multisensory spatial installations. From 3 March 2026, the Linienstraße space presents an exhibition titled Keep On. For Gallery Weekend, the gallery will present shows by Jorge Pardo, Pae White, and a group exhibition titled perceptual territories – cut, split, layered.
https://www.neugerriemschneider.com
Capitain Petzel
Capitain Petzel operates in the Karl-Marx-Allee area of Mitte and has built a reputation for showing rigorous, conceptually grounded work by both historical and contemporary artists. The gallery's roster includes Mike Kelley, Martin Kippenberger, and Hanne Darboven alongside younger positions.
From 10 January to 14 February 2026, the gallery presented Not I, a group exhibition featuring works by Daria Blum, Hanne Darboven, Gina Folly, William Gaucher, Mike Kelley, Martin Kippenberger, Monika Sosnowska, Ilaria Vinci, Xie Lei, and Urban Zellweger. For Gallery Weekend in May, the gallery will show Rodney McMillian. A work by McMillian, Untitled (Knoll's Chair) (2023–2026), a sculpture in chair, fabric, wire, and acrylic, will be presented during Gallery Weekend.
Contemporary Fine Arts (CFA)
Contemporary Fine Arts is one of Berlin's longer-established commercial galleries, representing a broad range of painters and sculptors. The gallery has shown artists including Sarah Lucas, Dana Schutz, and Christa Dichgans. Its current address is in the Potsdamer Straße area.
Anna Tuori's exhibition Paradise News and the group show Pension ABC both ran at the gallery from 17 January to 28 February 2026. For Gallery Weekend 2026, Travis MacDonald will be exhibiting at the gallery, identified among the notable emerging artists of this year's programme. Works available include Anna Tuori's The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore (2025), an acrylic and oil on canvas measuring 155 x 210 cm, and a painting by Christa Dichgans, Badezimmer II (1965), acrylic on canvas — both available on inquiry.
Galerie Buchholz
Galerie Buchholz, with spaces in both Berlin and Cologne (as well as New York), occupies a specific position in the German gallery landscape: it is known for its careful handling of artists' estates and archive-driven programming, alongside representation of contemporary artists. The Berlin space is at Fasanenstraße 30 in Charlottenburg.
For Gallery Weekend 2026, Yuji Agematsu will be exhibiting at the gallery, noted among the established figures of this year's programme.
https://www.galeriebuchholz.de
Galerie Thomas Schulte
Galerie Thomas Schulte has operated in Berlin for several decades and holds two spaces — one on Charlottenstraße and one on Potsdamer Straße. The gallery represents a selective but international roster including Jonathan Lasker, Walid Raad, and José Montealegre.
The Charlottenstraße space presents a group exhibition titled Phase from 27 February 2026, and the Potsdamer Straße location opened an exhibition titled Above and below the threshold from 13 February 2026, running through 18 April 2026. For Gallery Weekend in May, the gallery will present shows by Jonathan Lasker, Walid Raad, and José Montealegre.
https://www.galeriethomasschulte.de
Galerie Isabella Bortolozzi
Galerie Isabella Bortolozzi occupies a singular position in Berlin's gallery world, representing a tightly curated programme across video, painting, and installation. The gallery is based in the Schöneberg district.
From 7 February to 21 March 2026, the gallery presents The End of Theater by Calla Henkel and Max Pitegoff — their third exhibition with the gallery, comprising the complete series of episodes of THEATER, filmed at the New Theater Hollywood in Los Angeles, as well as new video works from their latest play, THE END IS NEW, which premiered at REDCAT in Los Angeles in autumn 2025. For Gallery Weekend, Adam Gordon will be exhibiting at the gallery, noted as exhibiting in Germany for the first time.
https://www.isabellabortolozzi.com
ChertLüdde
ChertLüdde is a mid-sized Berlin gallery with a well-regarded programme spanning performance-adjacent installation, sculpture, and historical research. The gallery operates from Linienstraße in Mitte.
From 24 February 2026, the gallery presents After Totality by Monia Ben Hamouda. For Gallery Weekend in May, Petrit Halilaj and Robert Rehfeldt will be showing at the gallery, with Halilaj highlighted as one of the headline artistic positions of the whole weekend. Halilaj's work for the exhibition draws on his Syrigana project, featuring charred and graffitied steel shipping containers.
Galerie Eigen + Art
Galerie Eigen + Art has the distinction of having been founded in Leipzig before establishing a Berlin presence, and it retains a particular focus on artists from the former East Germany, alongside a broader international programme. The gallery has long represented neo-Expressionist and figurative painters.
For Gallery Weekend 2026, Brett Charles Seiler and Nils Ben Brahim will both be exhibiting at the gallery, with Seiler named among the emerging artists of the programme.
Galerie Neu
Galerie Neu is a Mitte-based gallery with a spare, precise approach to its programme. It represents artists working in conceptual and post-conceptual modes and has a history of working with figures who have gone on to significant international careers.
For Gallery Weekend 2026, the gallery will present Counterplay, a group show.
Galerie Nordenhake
Originally founded in Sweden, Galerie Nordenhake has maintained a Berlin presence for a number of years and represents international artists working across a range of media, with a particular strength in painting and sculpture. For Gallery Weekend 2026, John Zurier will be exhibiting.
Konrad Fischer Galerie
Konrad Fischer Galerie carries one of the most significant histories of any German commercial gallery, having been central to the reception of Minimalism and Conceptualism in Germany from the late 1960s onwards. The Berlin space maintains that institutional memory while presenting current work.
For Gallery Weekend 2026, Daniel Buren will be exhibiting at the gallery, listed among the headline established figures of the programme.
https://www.konradfischergalerie.de
Buchmann Galerie
Buchmann Galerie has spaces in Berlin and Basel and represents a number of established artists, including Tony Cragg, who was shown during Gallery Weekend 2025. From 7 February to 21 March 2026, the gallery presents a solo exhibition by Joel Sternfeld, with an archival inkjet print of Space Center Houston, Houston, Texas, March 1979 (142 x 177.8 cm) as the title work. Works available from the gallery include those by Clare Woods.
For Gallery Weekend 2026, Bernd Koberling will be exhibiting.
https://www.buchmanngalerie.com
Galerie Guido W. Baudach
Based in Mitte, Galerie Guido W. Baudach represents younger and mid-career artists and has a track record of early support for figures who subsequently achieved broader recognition. For Gallery Weekend 2026, the gallery will present Auto-Paragone, a group show.
BASTIAN
BASTIAN is a gallery with spaces in Berlin and London that occupies a distinctive niche, operating between the primary and secondary markets and working with blue-chip historical figures as well as contemporary artists. For Gallery Weekend 2026, the gallery will present a solo exhibition dedicated to Max Liebermann.
https://www.bastian-gallery.com
Société
Société operates from Mitte and has developed a reputation for supporting younger international artists with intelligent, research-led programming. For Gallery Weekend 2026, the gallery will present shows by Wynnie Mynerva and Edi Rama, with Mynerva identified among the emerging artists of the programme.
https://www.societegallery.com
Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler
Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler represents some of the more digitally and conceptually adventurous younger artists in Berlin. For Gallery Weekend 2026, Brook Hsu will be exhibiting, noted as one of the emerging artists of this year's programme.
https://www.kraupa-tuskany-zeidler.de
Tanya Leighton
Tanya Leighton is a Charlottenburg-based gallery with a focused programme, often working at the intersection of performance history, institutional critique, and painting. The gallery has represented artists including Esteban Jefferson.
BASTIAN, Galerie Albrecht, and further galleries
Galerie Albrecht presented Sybille Pattscheck's exhibition An Interplay of Colour, Light and Space from 24 January to 7 March 2026. Works available from the gallery include Pattscheck's o.T. Diachrome Dunkelgrün-Magenta (2023), an encaustic on acrylic glass at 51 x 51 x 2.5 cm, available on request.
https://www.galeriealbrecht.com
The Context: Gallery Weekend and the Broader Landscape
Founded in 2005 by a cooperative of Berlin galleries, Gallery Weekend Berlin has established itself as a highlight of the international art calendar. It is a private initiative, organised by abc gwb UG, with board members currently including Jörn Bötnagel, Philomene Magers, Jochen Meyer, Bärbel Trautwein, and Nadine Zeidler. The event sits alongside Berlin's significant institutional layer — Hamburger Bahnhof, the KW Institute, the Gropius Bau, and the Berlinische Galerie — which provides a public context that elevates the entire ecosystem.
Private collections also matter here in a way they might not in other cities. The Boros Collection, housed in a former bunker in Mitte and holding works by Olafur Eliasson, Danh Vō, and Sarah Lucas, and the Julia Stoschek Collection, focused on time-based works by artists including Arthur Jafa and Barbara Hammer, both contribute to a density of serious collecting activity that underpins the commercial gallery sector.
Berlin's private gallery scene is neither as liquid nor as transaction-driven as London or New York. It functions, for many galleries, as a programme base that justifies and enriches their presence at international art fairs, and where relationships with artists and institutions are cultivated over the long term. The city's particular combination of institutional seriousness, relative affordability, and ongoing international artist migration continues to make it a place where galleries are prepared to invest in the slower game.