Field Question: Neues Museum
Kerstin Barndt’s “Working through Ruins: Berlin’s Neues Museum” discusses three pivotal moments in the history of Neues Museum, from the erection of the Museum in 1855, to its eventual destruction and restoration post World War II, as well as the special exhibition found within the Greek Courtyard. Barndt elaborates on the significance of each stages as it pertains to the history of the Neues Museum and its connection with ruin discourse. This connection can be found within the walls of the Museum given the works on display, and their apparent history, as well as the present form of the Museum as it shows its ruin as its own display of history and artifact.
Neues Museum’s first connection with ruin discourse begins with its opening, as during this time the museum housed works from a large variety of civilizations and time periods. This can be seen as a parallel as these civilizations at one point laid in ruin, and the museum is a means of displaying said history. The destruction of the museum during the second world war offers its own value to the discussion of ruin as the museum laid in ruin for approximately 60 years until its reopening in 2009. Even after its reopening in 2009 it bears the many of the wounds in received during the Second World War further connecting it to ruin discourse. The last moment discussed by Barndt regards the exhibition opened in 2010 that featured 12 Greek statues that were found amongst the rubble of the Neues Museum.
2 comments:
I find it interesting that you chose the reopening of the museum as a key moment in the museum's history. I like your point that the museum laid in ruins for almost 60 years. Do you know why nothing was done with this museum for those 60 years?
Some of the reason it was left in ruin was that it fell under soviet rule after World War II and it was one of most heavily damaged of the museums on museum island. Even after unification the museum was left in limbo with the process of electing a lead architect.
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