In brief
Merkel is the first woman to join the Ahnengalerie, which until now has exclusively featured male former chancellors.
Jérémy Queyras, 28, a little-known painter who studied in London and Paris, received the commission after a handwritten application in 2022 and a personal meeting in June 2025.
Unlike her predecessors, Merkel posed standing in a blue blazer. The 110x140 cm canvas includes a silver cube given at her swearing-in and other objects from her chancellorship.
The portrait is a loan, not a gift, and Merkel can withdraw it from the Chancellery under extreme political circumstances.
The portrait will be unveiled on 30 June and displayed at the Bode-Museum in Berlin from 1 July to 4 October, before moving to the Chancellery.
- 30 JunPortrait presented at Bode-Museum
- 1 JulPublic exhibition opens at Bode-Museum, runs until 4 October
- October 2026Portrait moves to the Ahnengalerie in the Chancellery
Portrait commission and the artist
Five years after leaving office, Angela Merkel has sat for a portrait that will join the Ahnengalerie in Berlin's Federal Chancellery. The artist chosen is Jérémy Queyras, a 28-year-old previously little-known painter. Queyras had applied informally with a handwritten letter in 2022, but Merkel only decided in June 2025 after an initial meeting. The weekly newspaper Die Zeit exclusively followed the entire process.
The sitting
Since summer 2025, Queyras met Merkel repeatedly in a specially set up, secret studio in Berlin. The former chancellor stood for the painting, unlike her male predecessors who posed seated. She wore a blue blazer. The canvas measures 110 by 140 centimetres, slightly larger than those of Gerhard Schröder and Helmut Kohl. Merkel paid for the materials and the artist's fee herself; no sum was disclosed.
“It's strange when you slowly become history.”
Symbolism in the painting
The portrait includes several references to Merkel's time in office: a table with loose papers, a yellow document folder, and a silver cube engraved with 'In der Ruhe liegt die Kraft' – a gift she received at her inauguration. The work is a loan, not a gift; Merkel told Die Zeit she could withdraw it from the Chancellery should a right-wing extremist ever become head of government.
A gallery of chancellors
The Ahnengalerie on the first floor of the Chancellery displays painted portraits of every post-war German chancellor. The idea originated with Helmut Schmidt, who was painted by Bernhard Heisig. Later chancellors followed: Helmut Kohl by Albrecht Gehse, Gerhard Schröder by his friend Jörg Immendorff. When Schröder's portrait was unveiled in 2007, he teased Merkel: 'There is still a little space next to me. No one knows when you will hang beside me.' Now that space will be filled.
“There is still a little space next to me. No one knows when you will hang beside me.”
Public debut and display
The portrait will be presented on Tuesday, 30 June, at the Bode-Museum in Berlin. From 1 July to 4 October, visitors can view it at the museum, according to the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. Afterwards, it will move to its permanent place in the Chancellery's gallery.