International Companions and fundraising campaign

Hamburger Bahnhof—Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart in Berlin announces its newly founded patrons circle Hamburger Bahnhof International Companions, which aims to promote diversity and inclusion through education, exhibitions, projects, acquisitions, and publications. Founded in October 2023 at the initiative of directors Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath, the International Companions aims to raise 2 million Euros annually through private members and partners, with a total target of 10 million Euros in programme funds by the end of 2028, out of which 1.2 million Euros have already been secured for 2024.

One of the first initiatives that will be made possible through the International Companions is the underwriting by the SAHA Association in Istanbul of a senior curator position with special expertise in the region. The position will be advertised this summer for a period of three years. The Arndt Foundation will annually support the purchase of an artwork by a Berlin-based artist for the Nationalgalerie’s collection at Hamburger Bahnhof. In 2024, the first acquisition will be a photographic installation by Isaac Chong Wai, which is currently on view as part of the new collection presentation at the west wing of the museum. In addition, the International Companions will facilitate new educational programs for schools, and outreach initiatives for the immediate neighbourhood and for various communities in Berlin.

In June 2023, Hamburger Bahnhof marked the purchase of its buildings and the permanent securing of its site through public funding with a three-day open house celebration. Since then, the museum has seen a vast increase in visitor numbers. In the second half of 2023, Hamburger Bahnhof recorded three times as many visitors as in the first half, totalling 400,000 visitors to its programmes last year. Hamburger Bahnhof International Companions will help the museum grow further through supporting various future initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion as the cornerstones of a socially relevant museum. Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath commented: “We are overwhelmed by the broad support that Hamburger Bahnhof has been receiving, and are grateful for the many individuals who have already joined our new International Companions. Artists and communities from all over the world have found their home in Berlin. The global scope of Hamburger Bahnhof International Companions will enable a broad spectrum of new initiatives that will reflect and promote the diversity of our society.”

The founding members of Hamburger Bahnhof International Companions include established art patrons who are globally well connected and who live in London, Hong Kong, Berlin, Dubai, Munich, Jeddah, Bilbao, Istanbul, New York, Seoul, Lugano, Melbourne and elsewhere. They include Abdelmonem Alserkal, Karen Boros, Monique and Max Burger and TOY friends, Dagmar Döring, Füsun Eczacıbaşı, Marx Family, Inderbitzi-Marx Family, Alexander Guttmann, Esra Eliane Joo, Andreas and Ulrike Kurtz, Silvia and Hubertus Langen, Hatice and Jan-Frederik Marx, Hamza Serafi, Tiffany Wood and Matthias Arndt, Yolanda Zugaza, and others.

In addition, various foundations and companies will support Hamburger Bahnhof in 2024 through the International Companions. Deutsche Bank funds In Conversation, a series of monthly talks with international artists. Further partners include illycaffè, Samsung Foundation of Culture, and Werkstatt für Kreative der Stiftung Kunstforum Berliner Volksbank among others.