Field Question- Neues Museum

In Kerstin Barndt’s article "Working through Ruins: Berlin's Neues Museum”, three points in time are outlined as the major turning points or stepping stones in the museum history that bind it with the concept of “ruins discourse”. These three key points are as follows.

1.      The original opening of the Neues Museum. Upon its original opening the museum housed an array of artifacts from a multitude of civilizations and time periods, and the Neues Museum quickly began to outshine the Altes Museum.

2.      The building itself suffered devastating wounds during World War II, many ceilings were collapsing, pillars were shattered and the outside walls still bear the scars of a large number of bullet holes. When the restoration process finally began after reunification in 1997 and took place over the course of 12 years, and was completed in 2009. In the beginning of this restoration many figures and statues suffered severe damage, missing limbs, broken pieces, or were destroyed altogether.  

3.      The final moment recognized by Barndt is the exhibition that took place in 2010 in the buildings Greek Courtyard, in which 12 statues were discovered in the ruins of the Neues.