There is more to numbers than sums; they can also conceal histories, too. In this case, world-famous architectural history. For five years the renowned Neue Nationalgalerie (New National Gallery), designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, was closed to the public for renovation. Nevertheless, the photographer Michael Wesely was able to accommodate "four guests" inside the iconic building: Four cameras, each one pointing in a different direction, were installed on the ceiling. Every day they took between 600 and 1100 pictures with an exposure time of two minutes each. Edited into bewitching montages, this fascinating synopsis allows readers to envision the building's metamorphosis as it was undergoing renovations. The long exposure time is an aesthetic coup, for ephemeral, restless, rapid movements contrast with the still, timeless quality of the architecture, presenting a sophisticated interplay of identity and change.

The Neue Nationalgalerie, which was erected in 1965-68, is the only building by the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in Germany from after the Second World War. With its steel roof over the glass-walled exhibition hall and its reduced design vocabulary, it is regarded as an icon of modernism and as the legacy of a visionary master builder. Following the restoration by the firm David Chipperfield Architects, the Neue Nationalgalerie is reopening with new glory in 2021. With numerous specialist texts and large-format photographs, the book focuses on the architecture of the museum in three thematic groups: the historical building, the fundamental restoration, and the renovated building. Detailed and large-format photographs heighten awareness of the unique architecture, which Mies van der Rohe designed down to the smallest detail.

The Neue Nationalgalerie, which was erected in 1965-68, is the only building by the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in Germany from after the Second World War. With its steel roof over the glass-walled exhibition hall and its reduced design vocabulary, it is regarded as an icon of modernism and as the legacy of a visionary master builder. Following the restoration by the firm David Chipperfield Architects, the Neue Nationalgalerie is reopening with new glory in 2021. With numerous specialist texts and large-format photographs, the book focuses on the architecture of the museum in three thematic groups: the historical building, the fundamental restoration, and the renovated building. Detailed and large-format photographs heighten awareness of the unique architecture, which Mies van der Rohe designed down to the smallest detail.