Christopher Lehmpfuhl at Bellevue Palace

When Bellevue Palace, the official residence of Germany's Federal President, stood emptied ahead of its renovation this summer, Christopher Lehmpfuhl saw an opportunity. Together with fellow artists Christian Awe and El Bocho, and driven by the initial idea of television journalist Matthias Deiß, Lehmpfuhl was one of the three initiators who brought the concept of FREIRAUM KUNST to the Federal Presidential Office and found an open door. What began as an idea roughly six months ago became one of the most unusual exhibition formats in recent Berlin memory.

From 13 to 28 June 2026, the Academy of Arts transformed Schloss Bellevue into a two-week pop-up gallery under the patronage of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The palace, a neoclassical landmark built in 1786 in the Berlin Tiergarten and Germany's foremost seat of state since 1994, was opened to the public in its stripped-back, pre-renovation state. An architecture at once historical monument and political symbol, turned briefly into an exhibition space. The building itself became the primary exhibit.

Lehmpfuhl's participation carried a particular resonance. An artist whose practice is grounded in direct observation of the city. Painting Berlin's streets, light, and architecture with a physical intensity that sets him apart. He was placed in dialogue with a site inseparable from the idea of German democratic statehood. The curatorial premise invited works to engage with that tension: to shift the meaning of the space, open new readings, and let art exist in productive friction with political symbolism. Alongside Lehmpfuhl, the exhibition brought together members of the Academy of Arts including Wolfgang Tillmans, Katharina Grosse, Monica Bonvicini, Gregor Schneider, and Karin Sander, whose 3D-printed portrait of Federal President Steinmeier at a scale of 1:5 became one of the most discussed works of the presentation.

Beyond his contribution as an exhibiting artist, Lehmpfuhl also took part in the "Büro der öffentlichen Sache," a discursive and performative programme conceived by Academy President Manos Tsangaris as an open forum on democracy, public space, and the conditions of civic life. His presence there — as painter, as one of the project's architects, and as a voice in the conversation — reflected the breadth of his engagement with this singular project.

KORNFELD Galerie represents Christopher Lehmpfuhl in Berlin.