Vision. Provocation. Dada.
November 8, 2025–March 16, 2026
Alte Jakobstraße 124-128
Berlin 10969
Germany
Hours: Monday and Wednesday–Sunday 10am–6pm
T +49 30 78902600
bg@berlinischegalerie.de
Raoul Hausmann (1886–1971) is a leading figure in the artistic avant-garde of the 20th century. Throughout his life he challenged conventions of every kind. In his all-round resolve to move on from the status quo and make “tomorrow” happen he was a multi-media artist avant la lettre. As a co-founder of Berlin’s Dada movement, nicknamed its “Dadasopher”, he pioneered a broad repertoire of styles and formats which continue to influence artistic production today.
Hausmann’s work and his ideas evolved along an interface between fine art, photography, literature, philosophy and technology. He co-invented collage, devised synaesthetic apparatus, penned experimental texts, explored the relationship between body, sound and space in his performances and used photography to blend vision with haptics. Driven by his tireless capacity for change, Raoul Hausmann generated an œuvre that is innovative, diverse and unlike any other.
The Berlinische Galerie will mark its 50th anniversary with a major retrospective devoted to this radical innovator. With more than 200 items on display, this is the first exhibition to address the full spectrum of his artistic endeavours—from early Expressionist ventures and iconic specimens of Dada to the late work, rarely shown to date, created during exile in France after he left Germany as a discredited “degenerate” artist.
The Berlinische Galerie holds the world’s biggest collection relating to Dada in Berlin and manages the Hausmann estate for the years until 1933; these are the foundations for this exhibition. The Musée d’art contemporain de la Haute-Vienne – Château de Rochechouart, as the custodian of Hausmann’s late work and a major source of loans for this event, will supply key works from his exile years. The comprehensive show will be enriched by outstanding works from institutions including the Hamburger Kunsthalle; Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Høvikodden; Kupferstichkabinett, Berlin; Musée d’art moderne et contemporain, Saint-Etienne; Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux; Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; Staatliche Museen zu Berlin; Tate London; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; as well as from private collections, galleries, libraries and antiquarians.
Catalogue
The exhibition is accompanied by an extensive catalogue of 304 pages with 366 illustrations and 12 essays. It is published by Hatje Cantz Verlag in an English and a German edition and presents the latest research.
Contact Berlinische Galerie
Berlinische Galerie. Museum for Modern Art, Photography and Architecture
Sascha Perkins, Head of Communications and Education: T +49 (0)30 789 02 829 / perkins@berlinischegalerie.de
Press contact
Karoline Köber, Communications & Strategic Consulting: T +49 (0)174 5354165 / mail@karolinekoeber.de
