The Bröhan Museum in Berlin Highlights the Epochs of Art Nouveau & Art Deco ~ Toured By Our Editor

Written by Sarah Tanning Wednesday, 29 December 2010 23:45

The Bröhan Museum in Berlin is a specialist and epoch museum with international orientation, displaying objects d’art from the periods Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Functionalism (1889 -1939). In addition the arts and crafts, some pieces from visual art genres are on display here. Furniture, table settings, vases, pictures, carpets and sculptures are joined together in room ensembles by way of chosen pieces of glass, ceramics, porcelain, silver and metal work in combination with furniture, carpets and lighting as well as prints and painting. Authentic impressions of living spaces during the art nouveau, art deco and functionalism period are thereby created. The collection illustrates the equal value of each area of artistic production. Focal points of the Bröhan Museum are works by French and Belgian art nouveau designers, representatives of the German and Scandinavian art nouveau era, and ensembles of French art deco. The Bröhan-Museum houses an exceptionally rich collection of porcelain from distinguished manufactures (KPM Berlin, Royal Copenhagen, Meissen, Nymphenburg, Sèvres etc.) as well as pieces of metal and glass works from the most important artists and designers of the time including early industrial design.The museum also houses an extensive collection of metal and glass objects, ceramics, silver, furniture, carpets, graphic art and paintings by important artists of these epochs. The collection has two areas of primary interest: decorative arts and painting. Specialist exhibitions focusing on specific topics or artists are held several times a year.The exhibitions includes prominent examples from the work of the following artists and producers: Precious glass by Emille Gallé and Joh. Loetz Wwe, furniture by Eugène Gaillard, Hector Guimard, Louis Majorelle, Bruno Paul, Richard Riemerschmid, Peter Behrens, Joseph Maria Olbrich, examples of Art Deco in the metal works of Edgar Brandt, furniture ensembles by Jaques-Emile Ruhlmann, silver by jean Puiforcat, Paris, and Georg Jensen, Copenhagen, as well as Art Nouveau fayence from the Bohemian Amphora works. The picture collection of the Bröhan Museum places particular emphasis on the Berlin Secession. Important collections of paintings by Hans Baluschek, Karl Hagemeister and Willy Jaeckel are complemented by works of Walter Leistikow, Franz Skarbina, Lesser Ury and others. To mark the 25th anniversary of the museum in December 1998, paintings and drawings were shown in a newly decorated picture gallery on the first floor. The Bröhan-Museum bears the name of its founder, Karl H. Bröhan, who donated his private collection to the city of Berlin on occasion of his 60th birthday. From 1966 onwards, he continuously built up his collection and made it public in a villa in Dahlem since 1973. On October 14th, 1983, the collection moved to its present site, a late classicistic barracks within the Charlottenburg Palace ensemble. 1994, the Bröhan-Museum became a state museum. Due to the international significance of its collection, the Bröhan-Museum takes an important place within the Berlin museum landscape as well as beyond the national borders.

Not to be missed are the porcelain collection and a room dedicated entirely to the work of Belgian Art Nouveau artist Henry van de Velde. On the 3d floor a cabinet is dedicated to the Belgian Art Nouveau artist Henry van de Velde and another to the Vienna Secession artist Josef Hoffmann. Important designers of serial production of the period 1889-1939 are represented with exemplary works: Friedrich Adler, Albin Müller, Peter Behrens, Christopher Dresser, Jan Eisenloeffel, Hermann Gretsch, Archibald Knox, Trude Petri, Wilhelm Wagenfeld. Amongst the collection highlights are designer objects originating from the French and Belgian Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles and the more northern German and Scandinavian Jugendstil. The Bröhan Museum is located opposite Schloss Charlottenburg, which is one of the "must sees" on any visit to Berlin.