The Ruin Discord of the Neues Museum

The Ruin Discord of the Neues Museum: May 14th Field Question

In the Kerstin Barndt's article, the idea of ruin discourse is associated heavily with museums. The concept of ruin discourse is a building or location that has aspects of both the past and the present; naturally, the Neues museum is a prime example of this. In the article, Kerstin Barndt claims that there are three crucial moments that connect the building with ruin discourse. Firstly, the museum's creation in mid-nineteenth century Prussia. Built by Friedrich Stuler, a student of Schinkel, the building quickly became a world-class museum, outgrowing even the older Altes museum next to it. The architectural design of this building would not persist, however, as the second crucial moment changed the museum entirely. Secondly, it's reconstruction and re-opening in post wall Berlin. The second world war had been hard on the Neues Museum, leaving it nearly completely destroyed. However, despite the odds the building survived, and was reconstructed and re-opened. This is the most prevalent example of the Neues' ruin discourse; despite the reconstruction, the damage of the second world war can still be found on the museum with bullet holes in the pillars and other general signs of damage that were left un-fixed for symbolic reasons. Third and finally, the Neues Museum has an ongoing special exhibition in the building's Greek courtyard showcasing the accidental find of twelve modern sculptures found in 2010; recovering pieces that had been confiscated by the Nazi's or had been lost in the war.