BARNARD COLLEGE VISUAL ARTS SENIOR BERLIN TRIP MARCH 18-24, 2013 THE ITINERARY MONDAY 3/18 Pergamon Museum TUESDAY 3/19 The Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k.) Tour of Olafur Eliasson’s studio by artist Geoffery Garrison Studio Olafur Eliasson Artist studio visit with William Cordova /American Academy in Berlin Fellow WEDNESDAY 3/20 Gallery Visit, Meet Henriette Huldisch, Associate Curator, Hamburger Bahnhof Museum Artist studio visit with Jennifer Bornstein / DAAD (2011) THURSDAY 3/21 Collection Scharf-Gerstenberg “Surreal Worlds” Berggruen Museum Schloss (Palace) Charlottenburg Artist talk and video screening with Massimiliano De Serio (artist, Turin), moderat- ed by Kathrin Becker (Head of n.b.k. Video-Forum) and Silke Wittig (n.b.k. Video- Forum). In cooperation with Artists Film International (AFI), initiated by Whitecha- pel Gallery, London. Group Dinner with Valerie Smith and additional guests FRIDAY 3/22 Akademie der Künste Artist studio visit with Rosa Barba Egyptian Museum tour with Art Historian Cristian Craciun SATURDAY 3/23 Choice Day Prearranged appointments at Neue Nationalgalerie, Alte Nationalgalerie, Bode Museum, Jüdische Museum Berlin, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlinische Galerie Museum of Modern Art, The Haus der Kulturen der Welt Planet Modular Art Supply Warehouse Berliner Philharmonie 2 3 MUSEUMS & GALLERIES Pergamon Museum The Hamburger Bahnhof The Pergamon Museum was built between 1910 The Hamburger Bahnhof was built in 1874 as one of and 1930 under the supervision of Ludwig Hoffmann, Berlin’s rail heads, but already in 1906 it was found too working according to designs by Alfred Messel. From small for a station and was converted into a museum 1901 to 1909, a smaller building had occupied the of traffic and building. Located in “no man’s land” be- same spot. This building originally accommodated tween East and West Berlin, the Hamburger Bahnhof the important excavation finds of the Berlin Museums, remained unused after the Second World War. Suc- such as the frieze of the Pergamon Altar which was cessive restoration began only after the GDR handed recovered between 1878 and 1886. However, insuffi- the building over to the City of Berlin in 1984. In 1987, cient foundations soon led to damages in the building the Hamburger Bahnhof was assigned to the Stiftung structure and the building had to be demolished even Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Foundation of Prussian Cul- before the outbreak of the First World War. The new, tural Heritage). The 1989 competition for the conver- larger Pergamon Museum was conceived as a “Drei- sion of the building was won by the architect Josef flügelanlage”. Today, it accommodates three separate Paul Kleihues, a museum specialist who designed an museums: the Antikensammlung (Collection of Classi- ideal concept for the multi-functional usage of the new cal Antiquities), occupying the architectural halls and museum. The large entrance hall serves as a central the sculpture wing, the Vorderasiatisches Museum space for orientation and leads to all other parts of the (Museum of the Ancient Near East) and the Museum building. From there, one can reach the two-storey für Islamische Kunst (Museum of Islamic Art). The western wing of the cour d’honneur, the ground floor monumental reconstruction of archaeological building of which serves as a permanent exhibition space dedi- ensembles – such as the Pergamon Altar, the Market cated to the work of Joseph Beuys. The eastern wing Gate of Miletus and the Ishtar Gate including the Pro- contains a restaurant and events forum. The great hall cessional Way of Babylon and the Mshatta Façade – and the modern galleries are used for special exhibi- has made the Pergamon museum world-famous. tions. Since September 2004, the Friedrich Christian Flick Collection is on permanent loan to the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (National Museums in Berlin) and The Neuer Berliner Kunstverein shown in the neighbouring Rieck halls. The collector The Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k.) is a site Friedrich Christian Flick handed over his first-class of contemporary art and discourse production. It was masterpieces to the National Museums in Berlin on founded in 1969 with the goal of presenting contem- loan for the duration of seven years. porary fine art to a broader public, and to inviting that public to actively participate in cultural processes. Collection Scharf-Gerstenberg “Surreal Worlds” In 1970, n.b.k. founded one of Germany’s first “arto- theks,” from which art enthusiasts can borrow from Nearly all members of the group of Surrealists are over 4,000 works of international art from the twentieth represented by selected works in the collection. There and twenty-first century free of charge. Artothek mobile are larger groups of works, in particular, by René Mag- creates exhibitions for public institutions, schools, and ritte, Max Ernst and Hans Bellmer, but also by Wols businesses. With the new design of the usage zones, and Paul Klee. The central pictorial strategies of Surre- n.b.k. will be presenting the Artothek collection with alism, such as combinatorics, metamorphosis and pure changing thematic emphases and in various forms of psychic automatism are illustrated by numerous virtu- presentation. With the Video-Forum, n.b.k. possesses oso examples. Surrealism has its place in a significant a collection of over 1,500 international art videos that line of tradition in occidental art. The earliest works in has constantly been expanding since its founding in the collection include Piranesi’s illustrations of fantas- 1971. Since the summer of 2008, the holdings of the tical dungeon architecture as well as the nightmarish Video- Forum have been viewable in a separate space. ghostly figures in Goya’s etchings. French Symbolism Presentations and screenings relevant to the collection of the late 19th century is represented by paintings explore current and historical developments in video of Odilon Redon and Gustave Moreau, as is its Ger- art. Both collections—Artothek and Video-Forum—are man counterpart in the form of graphic cycles of Max open to the general public, and offer space for experi- Klinger. The spectrum of art on exhibit is augmented mental art and cultural education. by a film programme which includes both the classic surrealist films of Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí as well as films by contemporary artists who draw upon Surrealism or use its formal instruments in their work. 4 5 continued in cooperation with the Academy. It places Museum Berggruen Berlin, in particular, as an art centre within the context The Museum Berggruen is situated in the Western of a development that begins in 1989. Stüler Building, opposite Charlottenburg Palace. Oil paintings, sculptures and various works on paper are Egyptian Museum on show on three floors under the title “Picasso and his Time”. More than 100 works by Picasso form the The Egyptian Museum owns one of the world’s most heart of the collection. The many facets of his life’s- important collections of Ancient Egyptian Art. Through work are represented: beginning with a drawing from its pieces of art, mostly taken from the time of King his student days in 1897 and ending with works he Akhenaton (around 1340 BC) from Tell el Amarna, the painted in 1972, one year before he died. The blue museum has reached world standing and renown. Fa- and pink period are represented as well as cubism and mous works such as the bust of Queen Nefertiti, the classicism. Since the 1920s Picasso practised differ- portrait of Queen Tiy and the famous ‘Berlin Green ent variations in style at the same time. The collec- Head’ belong to the collection. The impressive collec- tion also focuses on Paul Klee who is represented with tion of the Egyptian Museum includes masterworks be- more than 60 pictures. These small, delicate composi- longing to different epochs of ancient Egypt: statues tions reflect the poetic world of the artist from 1917 reliefs as well as monumental pieces of Egyptian archi- to 1940. In addition there are more than 20 works by tecture document the different time periods of ancient Henri Matisse, including more than half a dozen of his Egypt from 4000 BC up to the Roman Period.In addi- famous paper-cuts. Sculptures by Alberto Giacometti tion to the bust of Queen Nefertiti, whose original co- as well as examples of African art also enrich the heart lour is preserved without restoration since the Amarna of the collection. Since the museum was opened to the period, other pieces such as the sculptured portraits public in 1996, various works have been continuously of the royal family and members of the royal court are acquired. One of the most significant ones is a work also unique. The most significant work of the late pe- by Picasso, “Houses on a Hill (Horta de Ebro)” paint- riod is the so called Berlin “Green Head” named after ed in 1909, which belonged to the Museum of Mod- its greenish stone (ca. 500 BC) ern Art in New York. In December 2000 the contract about the acquirement of the collection by the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Foundation of Prussian Cul- tural Heritage) was signed. OPTIONAL VISITS Akademie der Künste Schloss (Palace) Charlottenburg The geopolitical change that took place in 1989 Schloss Charlottenburg was built in 1699 by Fried- ushered in an era of worldwide biennales, whose ge- rich III, Elector of Brandenburg and first Prussian King ography bid farewell to Western Art, with its old con- as a summer palace for his wife, Sophie Charlotte. tradiction between the centre and the periphery. The The stunning, regal baroque estate is the largest pal- exhibition project Nothing to Declare? now documents ace in Berlin.Built by Elector Friederich III in 1699 as these global developments. The heart of this exhibi- a summer palace for his wife Sophie Charlotte, this tion is a panorama room as a media installation, which regal estate, the largest palace in Berlin, is framed by illustrates the passage of time and the geographical a baroque-style garden.