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Maurizio Cattelan Receives the Preis der Nationalgalerie 2026
Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan has been awarded the Preis der Nationalgalerie 2026 and will present his first major solo exhibition in Germany at the Neue Nationalgalerie during Berlin Art Week in September 2026.
Since the early 1990s, Cattelan has occupied a singular position within contemporary art. Working across sculpture, installation, and conceptual practice, he employs humour, provocation, and moral ambiguity to address themes of power, religion, collective memory, and social responsibility. Works such as La Nona Ora (1999), depicting Pope John Paul II struck by a meteorite, and Him (2001), a kneeling schoolboy bearing the face of Adolf Hitler, have become iconic examples of an artistic language that oscillates between tragedy and satire.
The jury—composed of Emma Lavigne, Sam Keller, and Klaus Biesenbach—emphasized Cattelan's lasting impact on Berlin's artistic landscape following his role as co-curator of the 4th Berlin Biennale in 2006. Two decades later, his return to the city is seen as an opportunity to reconsider questions of remembrance, institutional authority, and political polarization through an artistic practice grounded in what has been described as “comic existentialism.”
The exhibition also marks a new chapter for the Preis der Nationalgalerie. Celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary, the prize will adopt a revised format from 2026 onward, honouring internationally significant artists whose work has not yet been comprehensively presented in Berlin through dedicated solo exhibitions at the Neue Nationalgalerie.
Curated by Lisa Botti in collaboration with Klaus Biesenbach, the exhibition will open in September 2026 alongside an award ceremony during Berlin Art Week.