Gropius Bau

Walking up to Gropius Bau, the building itself makes a statement. The sleek, glass‑encased façade juxtaposes the historic district with a decidedly modern sensibility, while the interior is a masterclass in spatial generosity. The main hall feels almost cathedral‑like in its height, yet the openness never veers into coldness; natural light floods the space, accentuating the crisp lines of the architecture and creating a welcoming ambience for visitors of all ages. A standout feature for families is the children’s playground area tucked into a side wing. It’s thoughtfully integrated—soft, modular modules that echo the museum’s aesthetic rather than feeling like an afterthought. Parents can keep an eye on their kids from the main exhibition floor, and the noise level stays comfortably low, thanks to acoustic paneling that also serves the museum’s broader sound‑design needs. I came for Ligia Lewis exhibition, Lewis’s show is a kinetic collage of film, sound installations, video projections, and live performance. The curatorial team has woven these elements together in a way that feels both experimental and accessible. The exhibition occupies a relatively compact room compared with the museum’s overall scale. This modest footprint makes it challenging to showcase the full breadth of Lewis’s practice; some of her larger installations feel squeezed, and certain sound‑scapes lose impact when confined to a smaller acoustic environment. Despite the spatial constraints, the pieces that are on view still manage to convey the core of Lewis’s artistic inquiry—how materiality, narrative, and technology intersect. The live performances, scheduled several times a day, are especially compelling; they transform the room into a pulsating arena where the audience becomes part of the work.

Went for the Yoko Ono exhibition along with a few others, and it was such a great experience. The exhibitions were well curated and engaging, and we ended up spending a couple of hours there without even noticing the time. The space itself is beautiful, calm, and perfectly located right in the city center. Ticket prices are reasonable, and there’s even a lovely little shop to browse afterward. Definitely a must-visit for anyone in Berlin looking for some art and cultural inspiration — I’ll gladly come back for future exhibitions!

The Gropius House itself is an architecturally amazing building. The exhibitions there are interesting and it is always worth going there. It is worth checking the museum's website for updates.

Loved the exhibitions, the only thing is that there is only one restroom located in the -1 floor. Had to go around the exhibition to reach the restroom.

I had the opportunity to visit the exhibition, which brings together a variety of works by the legendary and courageous photographer Diane Arbus, who so passionately captured the many facets of a suffering humanity, at times cruel but also poetic, courageous, and a little crazy. The photographs themselves are exceptional, both for the subjects depicted and the quality of the prints. The exhibition layout, however, has some serious flaws: on the one hand, the way the photographs are arranged is aesthetically unusual and captivating, but the downside is that some photos are positioned too high and are difficult to see. The lighting, which in some cases creates strong reflections on the photographic paper, worsens the situation. One gets the impression that priority was given to the choreographic aspect of the exhibition, to the detriment of the visibility of the works on display. Nonetheless, the exhibition is highly recommended, and absolutely not to be missed!

The museum and shop were well worth a visit. Its a beautiful building and the ceramic stair rods are worth seeing. Entry to the building and shop is free and there is a manned free bag storage facility in the basement. Many of the exhibitions are free to enter. I paid for the “Indigo waves” exhibit, which I thought was not worth the money.

I went there to see some cool exhibitions. But it turned out to be one of the most boring museums ever. Okay, there are some cool staff. But most of the exhibitions right now (Jan 2023) is not interesting at all. Don’t waste 7EUR (standard) or 5EUR(student) right now. Let’s hope it will be changed soon.

Excellent exhibitions currently, with Nancy Holt being the featured artist in the atrium. There is a great balance between light and dark - light of finding beauty through peep holes with Nancy Holt, and the dark of projections onto gravestones and embroidered body bags upstairs. Can highly recommend - we went on Sunday afternoon and there was no wait time.

I came here about a month ago for the David Bowie exhibit. It was amazing. Of course it's too late to pass this tidbit along to help someone, but I purchased my tickets ahead of time online. I really suggest doing that, as the line when I came out was incredibly long. So in case anyone reading this who's planning to visit the exhibit in another city, plan ahead. It was sooo crowded. Of course it was to be expected; it was August in Berlin and anyone who knows anything about Bowie wanted to see it. The only downside to this is sometimes it took ages to be able to see something because of the people crowding around something. Another bummer was not being able to take any photographs, but most of this stuff is online anyway (e.g. with the costumes, you can just look at the man himself online wearing it) so it wasn't a huge deal. But it was such an amazing experience to be able to see this stuff up close. Reading his handwritten lyrics and other tidbits Bowie wrote along the way to stardom was such an experience. The tour went in chronological order, enabling you to see his childhood and even having memorabilia from this period. It had everything and was an in-depth look at his entire life up to now, and I really recommend seeing it if it goes to a city near you.

As my friend had stated this museum is a hit or miss. First off I came to see the Johannes Itten and Paul Klee exhibit called "COSMOS OF COLOR". I had purchased tickets online before I even arrived to Germany. The exhibit was amazing but the rest of the exhibits within the museum was disappointing. If you buy a ticket online for an exhibit mind you will only be able to see that exhibit and will need to purchase another ticket to enter the other exhibits. If you are a fan of the Bauhaus then trust me when I say that the name "GROPIUS" is simply part of the museums name. There was nothing on the Bauhaus here other than the Klee and Itten exhibit. For more on the Bauhaus be sure to visit the Bauhaus Archiv and a two hour train ride away is the Stiftung Bauhaus in Dessau. I went and it was amazing. http://www.bauhaus.de http://bauhaus-online.de/en/stiftung-bauhaus-dessau

Nice building, great exhibitions, Saw the one of Soulages work. Crap coffee, though. Will definitely come back for the next exhibition, but bringing my own thermos for coffee. Also, I would avoid this place in the summer - too many people

Just popped in to experience the David Bowie exhibit, we arrived fairly early without pre-booked tickets. However if you are planning to come later in the day, I would book online. You know you are in the right location when you find, two statues decapitated and bus tours out the front. The exhibit was great, but at times it did feel a little too cramped. However, well worth spending some time if you are Bowie fan. Personal notes, lyrics, paintings and more are all showcased over level 1. The exhibit gave much insight to how David Bowie creates, collaborates and empowers all with his lyrics and fashion. Make sure you bring some water with you, as it can get a little too cramped and hot in some areas. The gallery has extended opening times due to demand, so a visit late afternoon may be better. Don't forget, a seperate ticket will need to be purchased, if you want to view the Ai Weiwei exhibit. Once finished with the gallery, exit out the front entrance not via the gift shop.

I came for 3 days to Berlin and hoped to see the David Bowie exhibition, deliberately without a pre-bought on-line ticket. I queued for 2 hours and after entering the building I went immediately to the cash desk to buy a ticket. I was told that I could not be sold a ticket until 2 pm. As I had 20 minutes to wait I bought a drink and went back to the same ticket office to buy my ticket at 1.55pm. I was then told that I was too late and that I had to come back at 3 pm. I explained that this was totally unexceptable and followed the ticket seller's instructions, exactly and that I had already queued for 2 hours 15 minutes. I was told that he was only the ticket seller and that he was working under instruction from his boss. I asked to speak to his boss who happened to be passing by at the time. He said he would go away and be back in a minute to issue me with a ticket. He never returned. I spoke to one of the young female door assitants who never raised her head from a magazine she was flicking through to be told that it was the first weekend of the exhibition. - It was to be my first and last Martin Gropius Bau exhibition. The whole experience was a ridiculous and frustrating experience and a complete waste of time. As I am a freelance tourism journalist, It's sad that I wasn't even given the opportunity to see the exhibition to publish a fair report. Unfortunately my experiences will not go forgotten. An appauling service by the staff at the Martin Gropius Bau...