The International Council Museum Berggruen Berlin consists of friends of the Berggruen familiy and patrons of the arts. Its aim is to keep the Museum Berggruen world-wide ever-present and alive.

In 1996, upon the invitation of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, Museum Berggruen was founded in honor of art dealer, art collector, writer and patron Heinz Berggruen (1914-2007) in his hoemtown Berlin. The neoclassical building opposite Charlottenburg Palace has since housed his internationally significant collection of works by Picasso, Matisse, Klee, and Giacometti, which Heinz Berggruen transferred to the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation in 2000.

The Museum Berggruen, which belongs to the Nationalgalerie in the umbrella organization of National Museums of Berlin, was enthusiastically received by Berlin and the international art world alike. The museum is currently being extended with a glass pavilion to encompass the neighboring building and garden. The extension is planned to open in the spring of 2012.

Founded in 2007, The International Council is linked to the Friends Committee ‚Förderkreis Museum Berggruen Berlin ’, who’s board director is Nicolas Berggruen. Every year in early summer - just befor the Art Basel opens its gates - the International Council members from all over the world are invited to meet in Berlin. The next gathering will take place on June 9, 2012.