The creation of four architecture students in 1905, die Brücke (the Bridge) attempted to construct a link between classical modes of artistic expression and the experience of the modern world. Original members Fritz Bleyl, Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff would later be joined by Emil Nolde, Max Pechstein and Otto Mueller in their mission to find “freedom in our work and in our lives, independence from older, established forces.” Though it existed less than a decade the group’s influence was critical to the subsequent development of Expressionism.

Initially formed from the donation of 74 paintings by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff to the city of Berlin, the museum today counts over 400 paintings and sculptures by the Brücke artists, as well as innumerable graphic works. The permanent collection is a must see for any admirer of early 20th Century art and special exhibitions focus on individual members and aspects of their work.