Preis der Nationalgalerie 2026 geht an Maurizio Cattelan

Der Preis der Nationalgalerie 2026 wird an den italienischen Künstler Maurizio Cattelan verliehen. Mit ihm wird einer der einflussreichsten Künstler der Gegenwart geehrt, der erstmals mit einer Einzelausstellung in Deutschland vertreten sein wird. Seine Werke, die sich zwischen Skulptur, Installation und konzeptueller Praxis bewegen, sind geprägt von scharfem Humor, bitterem Ernst und einer tiefgehenden Reflexion gesellschaftlicher Strukturen. Die Ausstellung zum Preis der Nationalgalerie wird zur Berlin Art Week im September 2026 in der Neuen Nationalgalerie eröffnet.

Der Preis der Nationalgalerie wird ermöglicht durch die FREUNDE der Nationalgalerie und gefördert durch BMW.

2026 Preis der Nationalgalerie goes to Maurizio Cattelan

The 2026 Preis der Nationalgalerie (Prize of the National Gallery) will be awarded to Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. The prize honours one of the most influential contemporary artists, who will be represented in Germany for the first time with a solo exhibition. His works, which range from sculpture and installation to conceptual practice, are characterised by sharp humour, bitter seriousness and a profound reflection on social structures. The exhibition accompanying the Preis der Nationalgalerie will open at the Neue Nationalgalerie during Berlin Art Week in September 2026.

The Preis der Nationalgalerie is made possible by FREUNDE der Nationalgalerie and supported by BMW.

geboren 1960 in Padua, Italien

BEING AN ARTIST IS NOT A JOB, IT’S A MALFUNCTION

ART IS A WAY TO SURVIVE, NOT A WAY TO LIVE
IF I KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING, I WOULD HAVE STOPPED A LONG TIME AGO
SOMETIMES THE BEST IDEA IS THE ONE YOU’RE TOO ASHAMED TO SAY OUT LOUD
FAILURE IS MY FAVORITE COLOR
I DON’T MAKE ART TO COMMUNICATE, I MAKE IT TO ESCAPE
IF YOU WANT TO SAY SOMETHING SERIOUS, WEAR A CLOWN’S NOSE
I DON’T BELIEVE IN INSPIRATION, I BELIEVE IN GOOD TIMING AND BETTER EXCUSES
YOU DON’T MAKE A MASTERPIECE, YOU SURVIVE ONE
BEAUTY IS THE PERFECT ALIBI
MY GOAL IS TO VANISH COMPLETELY, LEAVING BEHIND JUST A QUESTION MARK
AS LONG AS YOU DON’T CHOOSE, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE
BEING ORIGINAL IS OVERRATED, BEING PRECISE IS TERRIFYING
GUILT IS ONE OF THE PUREST MATERIALS AN ARTIST CAN USE
SOMETIMES I WISH I COULD COPYRIGHT SILENCE
IF I BELIEVED IN MESSAGES, I’D WORK IN ADVERTISING
I DON’T CREATE MEANING, I OFFER TRAPS FOR IT
TRUTH IS NOT AN INGREDIENT, IT’S THE AFTERTASTE
EVERY ARTWORK IS A LOOPHOLE
YOU KNOW IT’S WORKING WHEN YOU START REGRETTING IT
IF I WANTED COMFORT, I’D BUY FURNITURE
THE BEST ARTWORKS ARE MISTAKES NO ONE DARED TO FIX
A GOOD WORK DOESN’T ASK FOR ATTENTION, IT STEALS IT
A BANANA ON A WALL IS STILL MORE HONEST THAN MOST PEOPLE I’VE MET
THE MORE YOU POLISH AN IDEA, THE LESS IT CUTS
IF YOU CAN LIVE WITHOUT IT, IT WASN’T ART
CONCEPTUAL ART? ALL ART IS CONCEPTUAL IF YOU THINK LONG ENOUGH
I TREAT EXHIBITIONS LIKE FUNERALS: SILENT, AWKWARD, AND FULL OF FLOWERS
SUCCESS IS JUST FAILURE THAT FORGOT TO STOP
EVERY EXHIBITION SHOULD FEEL LIKE A CRIME SCENE
A GOOD ARTWORK SHOULD MAKE THE MUSEUM A LITTLE NERVOUS
EVERY OBJECT IS A HOSTAGE OF ITS OWN INTERPRETATION
WHEN IN DOUBT, CARVE IT IN MARBLE
I NEVER TRUSTED THINGS THAT COME WITH A LABEL
THE MOST RADICAL GESTURE IS TO DO NOTHING AND MAKE PEOPLE TALK ABOUT IT
THE LESS I EXPLAIN, THE MORE THEY WRITE

“Nearly two decades ago, as co-curator of the 4th Berlin Biennale, Maurizio Cattelan played a decisive role in establishing Berlin’s international standing as a centre of contemporary art. Twenty years on, a solo exhibition at Neue Nationalgalerie offers an opportunity to revisit and reflect on this formative influence within a new social and cultural context.

Cattelan’s practice engages enduring themes such as power, religion, death, humour and memory — concerns that resonate with particular force in Berlin, a city profoundly shaped by its complex history. As an Italian artist with an international career, he brings a distinctly European perspective to questions of identity, responsibility and collective remembrance. In Germany, where forms of remembrance are currently being re-examined — between the last generations with direct connections to the NS era and a younger generation informed by global perspectives — Cattelan’s art acquires renewed significance. In a time of increasing political polarization, his art can encourage us to view remembrance not as compulsion or obligation, but as a vital and relevant engagement with the present and the future.

Cattelan’s ironic questioning of authority and “truth” also carries particular urgency today. At a moment when institutions — museums, politics and the media — are re-evaluating their credibility and social roles, he scrutinizes structures of power both within and beyond the art world, always without moralizing. He reminds us that provocation and wit are not expressions of cynicism but forms of resistance and constructive reflection. Particularly in the German context, where public discourse often carries a strong moral charge, his art opens up spaces for thought beyond outrage and polarization. Cattelan is not an artist of straightforwardness. His strength lies in embracing ambiguity, exposing contradictions and posing new questions.

The Neue Nationalgalerie, with its iconic building by Mies van der Rohe, is ideally suited as a place situated between modernity, the 20th and 21st centuries, and the present day, to showcase Cattelan’s work in all its complexity — as a mirror and commentary on our time.”