This exhibition is now closed.
Spanning the dynamic and transformative years of the 19th and 20th centuries, European Masters featured 96 works by 70 of the greatest German, French, Spanish, Belgian, Dutch, and Swiss masters of the period. Included were iconic Neoclassical, Realist, Impressionist, and Symbolist works, as well as breathtaking German Expressionist paintings and sculpture.
You could view pieces by great German masters including Tischbein, Friedrich, and Beckmann, along with beautiful Impressionist works by Monet, Renoir, and Degas, and important paintings by Picasso, Marc, and Bonnard. Also on display were works by Cézanne, Van Gogh, and Munch.
Te Papa was the only New Zealand venue for European Masters: 19th–20th century art from the Städel Museum.
This exhibition of 96 remarkable masterpieces comes from one of the finest art collections in Europe, the Städel Museum in Frankfurt. The current refurbishment of the Städel Museum, founded by financier Johann Friedrich Städel in 1815, has provided a rare opportunity to view these works outside Germany.
See selected highlights of the exhibition, and the full list of artworks that were on display.
Learn more about the works
Exhibition handout
This handout provides an overview of key art movements of the 19th and 20th centuries, and lists some artists from each movement who are included in European Masters.
Download the exhibition handout here (pdf, 1.6mb).
Exhibition audio guide
Enrich your experience of European Masters by learning more about selected works, including stories behind those works and the personalities of the artists.
Download a free exhibition audio guide.
Get an overview of the contents of the audio guide (pdf, 33kb).
The Städel Trail
Walking and talking with kids through the exhibition.
Download the exhibition trail (pdf, 275kb)
Victoria Robson discusses 'Dog lying in the snow'
Victoria Robson, Curator European Art at Te Papa discusses Franz Marcs' Liegender Hund im Schnee (Dog lying in the snow), c.1911 in the exhibition.
Watch the video
Find out more about the official sponsors of European Masters.