Under embargo until 00.01 June 4, 2013

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Bank of America Merrill Lynch Art Conservation Project to Help Restore ‘Apocalyptic Landscapes’ by Ludwig Meidner at the Neue Nationalgalerie (New National Gallery) in Global Programme Connects People and Communities to Culture and History through the Conservation of 24 Projects in 16 Countries

BERLIN – Bank of America Merrill Lynch today announced that the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (National Museums in Berlin) – Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) will receive funding to conserve ‘Apocalyptic Landscapes’ by Ludwig Meidner at the Neue Nationalgalerie through the company’s global Art Conservation Project. This is one of 24 projects in 16 countries around the world that has been selected for grant funding in 2013.

‘Apocalyptic Landscapes’ is ranked amongst the highlights of the Nationalgalerie’s collection, as it is regarded as Meidner’s most intensive expressionist painting. It anticipates the horrors of the First World War by several years, with its most distinctive feature being that the canvas is painted on both sides.

The funding will be used to help the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin to conserve the painting, which is currently in an extremely fragile condition. It will also support the development of a new mounting technique which will help to maintain visibility of both sides to the viewer. The Neue Nationalgalerie and Rathgen-Forschungslabor (Rathgen Research Laboratory) of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin shall implement the project.

The Bank of America Merrill Lynch Art Conservation Project was introduced in 2010 in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and expanded to the Americas, Asia and Australia in 2012. To date, it has funded the conservation of more than 57 projects in 25 countries around the world. The full list of 2013 recipients is below.

“Art has a unique ability to connect people and communities and to help economies thrive,” said Rena DeSisto, global Arts and Culture executive at Bank of America. "The works of art we have selected as part of the 2013 Art Conservation Project can provide a lasting reflection of people and history. As a company with clients in over 100 countries, we are funding the preservation of these important works to contribute to the cultural enrichment and advancement of future generations."

Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s support for the arts is diverse and global, and includes loans from its art collection to museums at no cost, sponsorships, grants to arts organisations for arts education and other projects and the preservation of cultural treasures.

According to Joachim Jäger of the Nationalgalerie in Berlin: “This grant allows us to make the vital restorations required to keep the painting on display. and makes it possible for future generations from around the world to enjoy the paintings by Ludwig Meidner for years to come.” Stefan Simon from the Rathgen-Forschungslabor adds: “The conservation shall be based on a state-of-the-art scientific approach and be shared widely with the public in order to further raise awareness for the preservation of cultural heritage.”

“As art conservation consumes ever greater portions of tightened museum budgets, the need for private arts funding has become even more critical,” said Holger Bross, country executive for Germany at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. “We are honoured to help preserve a work of art that is culturally and historically significant to Germany, a country in which we have done business for more than 56 years.”

Notes to Editor

Bank of America Merrill Lynch Art Conservation Project 2013 grant recipients include : Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia, PA; Detroit Institute of Arts in Detroit, MI; Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City, MO; Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles, CA; Museum of in New York, NY; Miami Art Museum in Miami, FL; Minneapolis Institute of Art in Minneapolis, MN; New Bedford Free Public Library in New Bedford, MA; The Montreal Museum of Fine Art in Montreal, Canada; Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland; Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Germany; Musee d’Orsay in Paris, France; Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria; National Art Gallery of Brera in Milan, Italy; National Gallery in Prague, Czech Republic; Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Istanbul, Turkey; La Casa Azul – Frida Khalo Museum in Mexico City, Mexico; Museu de Arte Moderna de Sao Paulo, Brazil; Johannesburg Art Gallery in Johannesburg, South Africa; Moroccan Ministry of Culture in Rabat, Morocco; National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia; The Independent Administrative Institution National Institute for Cultural Heritage – Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo, Japan; Shike Yisha Bowuguan (Art Museum of Stone Carving) in Beijing, China and Shanghai Art Museum in Shanghai, China.

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The Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz The Foundation is one of the world's major cultural organisations. The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (State Library), the Geheimes Staats-Archiv (Secret State Archives), the Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut (Ibero-American Institute) and the Staatliches Institut für Musikforschung (State Institute for Music Research), all with their origins in the collections and archives of the State of Prussia, are linked to form a close network for cultural transmission since 1957.

Neue Nationalgalerie and Rathgen-Forschungslabor of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin The Neue Nationalgalerie was opened in 1968 and is the last work completed by the world- renowned architect . It hosts rotating exhibitions focusing on 20th- century art. The gallery's large collection includes important works by numerous artists from Europe and North America. The Rathgen-Forschungslabor is the leading institution for conservation science, art technology and archaeometry at the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. It carries forward the tradition of the world´s oldest scientific museum laboratory, the Chemical Laboratory of the Königliche Museen zu Berlin (Royal Museums in Berlin), which was founded on April 1 1888 and bears the name of its first Director, Friedrich Rathgen. ###

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