Berlinische Galerie
On 23rd October, I visited the Berlinische Galerie in Berlin. It is one of the newest museums in Berlin and collects art from Berlin dating from 1870 to the current day. The Berlinische Galerie is a museum of modern art, photography and architecture in Berlin. The museum was built in a spacious industrial hall which was rebuilt to provide 4,600 square metres of exhibition space.
Emilio Vedova - Absurd Berlin Diary ‘64
Venetian painter, Vedova, worked in Berlin from 1963–1965 as a fellow of the Ford Foundation. Vedova’s studio was the former work place of Arno Breker, the most important sculpture of the National Socialist Period. Absurd Berlin Diary was created as a reaction to the awareness of life in the divided city of Berlin of the early 1960s. Vedova’s Absurd Berlin Diary ’64 was the first in the history of modernism to relieve abstract expressive painting from the conventional form of a panel painting, placing it instead in a freely accessible space as a rearrangeable architectural structure where the viewer can walk around. I found Vedova’s sculpture really interesting and enjoyed looking at all the different aspects and elements of the piece, from brush strokes to collage.
Monica Bonvicini - 3612,54 M³ VS 0,05 M³
“You can avoid people but you can’t avoid architecture.“
Bonvicini’s diverse oeuvre of sculptures, installations, drawings, photographs and videos works is permeated by explorations of space, power, gender and sexuality. The title of Bonvicini’s latest installation refers to the volume of the space in relation to the volume of the artist. One of Bonvicini’s installations in the museum, ‘Breathing’, is a 10-metre-high structure with two industrial air cylinders controlling a structure resembling a whip that swings between speeds, sometimes slow and smooth, sometimes fast and intimidating. The exhibition as a whole deals with the notions of facade and the structure of the building and its function as a venue. This statement and each of the works are heavily related to the concepts surrounding power, control, society, architecture and intervention. At first glance I found the sculpture rather odd and did not understand it, but after researching the artist and looking into the history of her work I was able to realise and discover the idea behind her piece of work.
Heinrich Zille
Zille is best known for his drawings and prints of the working class environment, which he created with a touch of Berlin humour and a socially critical eye. Unlike most photographers, Zille, focuses on the locals and their view of the world rather than showing how Berlin is expanding to become a cosmopolitan city. Many of his works convey life in the Berlin streets, experienced by ordinary people. His photographs make him one of the earlier street photographers of Germany. In 1987, the museum was able to acquire Zille’s entire photographic estate. This consists of 152 vintage prints and twice as many glass negatives.
I found these images evoked alot of emotion within me and the compositions amazing. Each photograph holds so much information and interesting things.
Fidus (aka Hugo Hoppener)
In 1910, Fidus was commissioned by the Jewish couple, Richard Neuhauser and his wife Meta to decorate the music room of their Schoneberg home in Berlin. Fidus returned to a sketch motif which he drew in 1894, capturing the lightness of an informal dance to express “soul energies and feelings” beyond the visible world. He was given the chance to create his motif which was later named ‘Temple Dance of the Soul’. Their commission resulted in one of Fidus’ most successful pieces of work.
I found this piece rather strange but very eye catching. I felt like it related to religion through the selection of elements on the page. It is a very striking collection of work.
