Staatsgalerie Stuttgart

Bright green window bands, pink and blue tubular handrails and striped sandstone and travertine walls that recall an ancient building: when James Stirling's Neue Staatsgalerie opened in 1984, architects argued fiercely about it. Today it is regarded as the key work of postmodern architecture in Germany. Together with the neoclassical original building of 1843 it forms the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, one of Germany's major art museums, with around 5,000 paintings and sculptures spanning 700 years. A renovation began in 2026, but the museum stays open throughout.

History: three buildings, three eras

King Wilhelm I of Württemberg had the Museum of Fine Arts built by Gottlob Georg Barth from 1838 to 1842; it opened in 1843. At first the collection shared the building with the royal art school. The old building was almost completely destroyed in the Second World War and reopened in 1958. The competition for an extension was won unanimously in 1977 by the London practice of James Stirling and Michael Wilford. Critics such as Frei Otto accused the design of monumentality and too many historical quotations; Stirling replied that he wanted it to be monumental and popular at the same time. In its first year it drew so many visitors that the Staatsgalerie ranked second among German museums. In 2002 a third building was added for the prints and drawings collection of more than 400,000 works.

What to see

• The Stirling building: As in Schinkel's Altes Museum in Berlin, the galleries are grouped around a central rotunda, but the entrance is set at an angle. Take time for the ramps and the upper terrace outside. In front of the entrance lies Henry Moore's bronze "Reclining Figure".
• Old masters: Early German panel paintings including the Herrenberg Altarpiece by Jerg Ratgeb, Hans Memling's "Bathsheba at her Bath" and Rembrandt's "Saint Paul in Prison".
• The 19th century: Caspar David Friedrich, Delacroix, Courbet and Monet, plus Stuttgart neoclassicists such as the sculptor Johann Heinrich Dannecker.
• "THIS IS TOMORROW": The new presentation of 20th and 21st-century art runs until the end of 2027.
• Temporary exhibitions: "BÄNG – Radical Women Artists from the Sohm Archive" (until 31 January 2027), from 27 November 2026 "Albtraum und Vision", and from 4 December 2026 "Alles surreal?" on photography and Surrealism.

What the renovation means for your visit

Work is expected to last until 2034, but the museum never closes completely. In autumn 2026 rooms 28 to 42 on the upper floor of the Stirling building are closed until 3 December 2026, and room 14 with 19th-century art until roughly summer 2027. Because of work on the old building's staircase, individual pieces such as the Hölzel stained-glass windows are sometimes off view. The classic modern masterpieces are moving: from 19 February 2027 they will be shown as "Simply the Best" in the Kunstgebäude on Schlossplatz.

Tickets and opening hours (as of October 2026)

• Opening hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday to Sunday 10:00–17:00, Thursday 10:00–20:00, closed on Mondays.
• Collection: a renovation price of €9, reduced €7, free on Wednesdays.
• "BÄNG": €10.50, with the collection €11, reduced €8.50 or €9.
• Free: children and young people up to and including 20. The cloakroom and the collection media guide are free.
• Reduced admission also applies with a same-day bwtarif ticket or the Deutschlandticket.

Getting there and parking

The entrance is at Konrad-Adenauer-Straße 30. It is about a twelve-minute walk from the main station, or one stop to "Staatsgalerie" (Stadtbahn U1, U2, U4, U9, U14, buses 40 and 42). That stop is currently not step-free because of building work, so "Charlottenplatz" and "Schlossplatz" are alternatives. You can park in the Staatsgalerie garage, the Haus der Geschichte car park, the Landtag garage or the Schlossgarten underground car park. Because of the Stuttgart 21 construction site, the museum recommends public transport.

Tripto tip

Allow two to three hours, plus half an hour outside on the terraces if you love architecture. Come on a Wednesday to save money. If you use a wheelchair or walker, call the information desk before your visit, as the lift to the main entrance was out of service in autumn 2026. The Haus der Geschichte Baden-Württemberg and the Schlossgarten are right next door, and Schlossplatz is about ten minutes away on foot.