Skulpturensammlung Dresden

The Skulpturensammlung is a sculpture collection housed in Dresden’s Albertinum, part of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden. Its holdings span more than five thousand years, from the art of classical antiquity to works of the Renaissance, Baroque, Expressionism and beyond. Among its treasures are pieces by Polycletus, Giambologna, Permoser, Rodin and Lehmbruck. The collection began in the 16th century with the Kunstkammer founded in 1560. It was expanded by August the Strong into a centre of Baroque sculpture and architecture. The Albertinum itself was completed in 1889 to display antiquities alongside contemporary works. After wartime destruction and the return of looted pieces in 1958, the building was restored. Today the Albertinum shows works from Romanticism to the present, while antiquities are kept in temporary display rooms. The Osthalle on the Brühlsche Terrasse, designed by Gottfried Semper in the 19th century, once held the classical sculptures and will again in future. Visitors enter a sequence of galleries that open with Auguste Rodin, whose innovations shaped modern sculpture. The Albertinum now includes the Klingersaal, devoted to late 19th-century ‘Fin de siècle’ art with works by Böcklin, Klinger, von Stuck and Schneider. The Mosaiksaal explores themes of morality through Classicist pieces, including sculptures by Ernst Rietschel. A ground-floor display storeroom offers a preview of the forthcoming Antiquities Collection, featuring items such as the ‘Dresden Boy’.