Christian Marclay. The Clock

It has been shown in major museums such as the MoMA in New York, the Tate Modern in London, the Museum of Modern Art in Yokohama, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the MCA in Sydney. Now it is coming to Berlin for the first time.


"The Clock" is a compilation of thousands of time-related moments from film and television that feature clocks or timepieces. After years of meticulous research and editing, Christian Marclay has combined these fragments into a seamless 24-hour film experience.


The result is an immersive audiovisual journey through film history—and at the same time, a functioning clock: The installation is precisely synchronized with Berlin's local time, blurring the line between cinematic and real time.


The work brings together over 100 years of film history—from iconic thrillers and westerns to obscure science fiction films—and allows time to dissipate in countless directions simultaneously.

• "The Clock" is neither bad nor good, but complete, perhaps the best film ever seen, explained Zadie Smith in the New York Review of Books.
  
• In a specially built cinema within the Mies Glass Hall, "The Clock" can be seen daily during regular opening hours.
  
• Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays until 8 p.m.
  

On selected weekend evenings, visitors also have the opportunity to experience the complete 24-hour work.


Christian Marclay (born 1955) grew up in Switzerland and now lives and works in London. For over 40 years, he has explored the fusion of visual art and music, transforming sound and music into visible, physical forms through performance, collage, sculpture, installation, photography, and video.



Curatorial Team

The exhibition is curated by Klaus Biesenbach and Lisa Botti.

The exhibition is made possible by the FRIENDS of the Nationalgalerie.

A special exhibition of the Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin