The German sculptor Ulrich Rückriem donated one of his major works to the Nationalgalerie in 2013: the work “40 Floor Reliefs”. The installation, which can be seen as a homage to Mies van der Rohe, consists of forty square granite slabs. With each installation, these are distributed in a chessboard pattern over the entire area of the upper hall of the Neue Nationalgalerie. The dimensions of the sculptures refer exactly to the dimensions of the floor plates of the building.

In the rigor and reduction of this work, the “40 Floor Reliefs” represent a convincing response to the minimalism of Mies van der Rohe. With the new installation of the work in 2023/2024, Ulrich Rückriem is honored on the occasion of his 85th birthday.

A special exhibition of the Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin