The Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD) are a museum complex with an international profile, comprising altogether fifteen museums.
I am fascinated by the collection's profound, historical dimension, which ranges from the Old Masters to Gerhard Richter. I am tempted by the dialogue between fine and applied arts suggested by the broad-based collections, which enjoy such a long and prolific history here in Saxony.
The museums show their treasures at their different locations, some housed in world-renowned, painstakingly reconstructed historical buildings: They are the Green Vault, the Cabinet of Prints, Drawings and Photographs, the Coin Cabinet and the Armoury in Dresden’s Royal Palace; the Porcelain Collection, the Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments and the Old Masters Picture Gallery in the Semper Building at the Zwinger; the Sculpture Collection with exhibitions in the Semper Building at the Zwinger and at the Albertinum, as a part of the presentation of Romantic to contemporary art; the Saxon Folk Art Museum with Puppet Theatre Collection in the Jägerhof; the Museum of Decorative Arts in Pillnitz and last but not least the GRASSI Ethnological Museum in Leipzig, the Ethnological Museum Dresden and the Ethnological Museum in Herrnhut. In 2016, art collector Egidio Marzona donated the Archiv der Avantgarden, an archive of 20th-century avant-garde art, to the SKD. Dresden’s Art Library, the Art Fund, the Gerhard Richter Archive and the Saxon State Office for Museum Affairs form further parts of the museum network.
Several million objects are preserved and researched in these collections and their stories brought to life. These holdings continue to be expanded through donations and acquisitions. In future, more and more contemporary artists will be invited to explore the collections and new exhibition concepts will be developed. In addition to permanent and special exhibitions that may be visited in Leipzig, Dresden and Herrnhut as well as other temporary sites in Saxony, the SKD are involved in international collaborations with other museums.
As regards the research into its own holdings, the museum complex is considered a trailblazer within Germany, especially for its systematic provenance research, which aims to determine the origins of the objects and, if they are not the legal property of the collections, to return them. The SKD also works with numerous partners from the areas of culture, science, politics and business, ranging from Dresden’s Technical University to Saxon art colleges to the internationally active Goethe-Institut.
The museums of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, which are an institution of the Free State of Saxony, see themselves as places of reflection, of questioning and of a reassurance of identity; at the same time, they act as platforms of free thought that contribute to an open-minded, tolerant and peaceful society. For this reason, the museums actively engage in museum education as one of their main objectives, striving to accommodate all visitors and their diverse needs.
Here, the SKD understand their visitors as partners in dialogue who stand at the same level, who can, for example, participate in the development of new ideas. A further aim is to increase collaboration with schools and preschools, as well as with the regional trades so as to be active not only in Dresden, Leipzig and Herrnhut, but to make use of the collections to convey diversity and complexity in other parts of Saxony as well.
The Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden are governed by an Executive Board. This board consists of the General Director of the SKD and the Managing Director. The Board of Trustees advises and oversees the work of the Executive Board. The Board of Trustees consists of twelve members, who are appointed and dismissed by the Sächsisches Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft, Kultur und Tourismus. The board is made up of representatives from Saxony’s executive civil administration; individuals from the fields of culture, science, and commerce; and an employees’ representative. In agreement with the Sächsisches Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft, Kultur und Tourismus the SKD also appoint the members of the Scholarly Advisory Council to four-year terms. This body advises the SKD regarding fundamental scholarly issues.
As a cultural institution of the Free State of Saxony, the Dresden State Art Collections (SKD) are obligated by the German constitution, the Basic Law, and specific regulations of the Free State of Saxony.
“State of the Art since 1560”: This was the motto of the celebrations surrounding the 450th anniversary of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD) in 2010.
To fulfill our diverse tasks, the SKD employ numerous professional groups. In highly commited teams, researchers, restorers, museologists, depot administrators, librarians, administrative employees and other employees are working together.
The Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden offer you a wide range of different publications - from magnificent picture books to scientific publications
The Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD) has a presence not only in Dresden, Leipzig, Herrnhut and other places in Germany where it presents temporary exhibitions; rather the network of fourteen institutions has active ties around the world.
We welcome our guests in our newly opened visitor centre "Art and Info" in the Residenzschloss.
From selling tickets for all our museums, personalizing annual tickets, arranging individual and guided tours, to offering an exclusive selection of souvenirs for sale, we are here for you concerning all questions about the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.
Besucherzentrum art und info:
Residenzschloss
Schlossstraße/corner Taschenberg, 01067 Dresden (daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
Telefon: + 49 351 4914 20 00 (monday - friday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., saturday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.)
Email: besucherservice@skd.museum
