The Splendid Hamburger Bahnhof Museum In Berlin Is Toured By Our Editor

Written by Sarah Greenhut Friday, 17 December 2010 22:56

After a lengthy reconstruction by architect Josef Paul Kleihues, the Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin reopened on 2 November 1996 as the "Museum für Gegenwart" (Museum for Contemporary Art). The building was erected in the mid-19th century as one of the first terminal stations of the rail system. In the early 20th century, the structure was converted into a museum of transport and construction. The station's architecture, its impressive Neoclassical façade, flanked by two towers, the grand industrial hall of the entrance area, and the wings of the cours d'honneur flanking the garden of the inner courtyard: all of these elements constitute special attractions for visitors to Berlin. Only the east wing, the so-called Kleihues Hall, was reconstructed in the style of a high vaulted grand gallery on the occasion of the 1996 reopening. Impressive from without by virtue of the façade's lucid historicist style, the building is rendered even more striking by an ingenious dichromatic installation, designed by American artist Dan Flavin, which bathes both the main façade loggia and the transitions leading to the wings of the cours d'honneur in blue and green neon light. Particularly at night, Flavin's last work (whose completion he unfortunately did not live to see) is visible from afar, and has come to be seen as the museum's trademark.The Hamburger Bahnhof is the third location of Berlin's Nationalgalerie. The name, "Museum für Gegenwart" invokes the museum's former Department of Contemporary Art, which opened at the Kronprinzen Palais on Unter den Linden in 1919 and was shut down by the Nazis in 1937. Established by Nationalgalerie director Ludwig Justi in the aftermath of the fall of the German monarchy, the "Museum der Gegenwart" was one of the first state museums devoted to "living art." In this progressive spirit, it was decided that the new museum's collection would focus on art since 1960. The original impetus for the elaborate redesign and restoration was the acquisition of the Erich Marx collection, whose permanent home would henceforth be the Hamburger Bahnhof. Its premiere presentation in 1996 in a splendid selection of works by Joseph Beuys, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg and Cy Twombly eloquently pointed up the museum's program. These pioneering artists, who transgressed the boundaries separating traditional art forms, were the point of departure, soon to be joined by additional pivotal figures, and the museum's exhibitions and programs have consistently focused on the interdisciplinary character of contemporary art. In the context of this expanded conception of art, the Nationalgalerie collection is distinguished in particular by its holdings of artists' rooms, including ones by John Cage, Bill Viola, Peter Campus, Wolf Vostell, Rebecca Horn, Carolee Schneeman, Reinhard Mucha, Marcel Broodthaers, Fritz Rahmann, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Johan Grimonprez and Aernout Mik. In 2002, the collection was enlarged significantly by the acquisition of Egidio Marzona's study collection of Conceptual Art and Arte Povera. Among recent acquisitions, filmic works represent an additional focus for the Nationalgalerie, a sphere of activity reinforced further by the arrival of the Joseph Beuys Media Archive and by Mike Steiner's donation of a collection of 1970s video art, as well as by purchases of films by artists such as Marcel Broodthaers, David Lamelas and Matthew Buckingham. In 2004, the museum was expanded by an additional 6000 m2, and now has a total exhibition surface of 13,800 m2. The former Lehrter Bahnhof, set behind the main building, was converted to become the so-called Rieckhallen, and now provides exhibition space for the Friedrich Christian Flick Collection, on loan for an initial period of seven years. In February 2008 the collector Friedrich Christian Flick donated 186 works of art to the Nationalgalerie. This donation includes works of the last forty years, including main works by artists like Marcel Broodthaers, John Cage, David Claerbout, Stan Douglas, Martin Kippenberger, Bruce Nauman, Raymond Pettibon, Jason Rhoades, Wolfgang Tillmans. The donation is the largest gift of a private person the museums since its foundation in the 19th century. The works of the donation will be presented in various shows during the next years. In addition, a publication about the donation is planned.The museum is currently publishing this collection of over 2000 superlative works of contemporary European and North American art in changing thematic and monographic presentations. Visit website:_ www.hamburgerbahnhof.de/

As part of Berlin’s Nationalgalerie and its third location, the museum houses three highly prestigious collections. Along with the permanent Nationalgalerie collection are the renowned Frederick Christian Flick, Erich Marx and Marzona collections. Since 1996 the Hamburger Banhof Museum has consistently consolidated its reputation as one of the world’s most highly-regarded contemporary art museums. In 2004 the prestigious Friedrich Christian Flick collection encompassing ca 2,000 works by approximately 150 artists was housed in the museum. In 2,002 the collection was again enlarged by the acquisition of Egidio Marzona’s collection of Conceptual Art and Arte Povera. The core elements of the museum’s collection stem from the legacy of Berlin collector Dr. Erich Marx who assembled some of the greatest masterpieces of the mid 20th century - works from contemporary giants such as the provocative German ‘enfant terrible’ Joseph Beuys, Andy Warhol, Cy Twombly, Anselm Kiefer. Amongst the key pieces are iconic works of art such as Warhol’s ‘Mao’ and Joseph Beuys’ installations including over 450 drawings from Beuys and 60 sketches from Andy Warhol. Conceived as a showcase for the multi-media dimension of contemporary international art the scope of the museums’ exhibits encompasses other contemporary art forms such as film, video, design and photography with installation work from Nam June Paik and experimental work from artists such as Sol Lewitt, Marchel Duchamp and Sigmar Polke and Jason Rhoades. A main emphasis of the collection is art on video and film. A collection of 1970s video art, made as a gift by Mike Steiner, as well as the Joseph Beuys-Medienarchiv form its basis. In addition, key works of video art by Peter Campus, Gary Hill, Marcel Odenbach, Bill Viola, etc., are among the inventory. This focus on trendsetting video and film works has been recently continued by diverse positions, which include films by Matthew Buckingham and David Lamelas, with sound works, for instance by the Canadian artist pair Janet Cardiff / George Bures Miller, up through extensive installations by artists such as Daniel Pflumm, Christian Jankowski and Arnout Mik. Works by Gerhard Richter, A.R. Penck, and Imi Knoebel may be counted among the central points of departure in the collection within the field of the painting. The basic attitude connected to these positions, namely to proceed not from reality, but rather from a reality determined by the media during the selection of the motifs, has shaped the development of painting to this day. Works by younger artists such as Michel Majerus, Corinne Wasmuth, or the artist group Suzi Pop, illustrate the changeability of the visual in the age of the computer. Photography, which was only able to establish itself as an independent art form during the course of the 1980s, is also represented in the collection in diverse forms. In addition to works by the so-called Becher School (Hilla and Bernd Becher, Andreas Gursky, Thomas Ruff) are examples of staged and conceptual photography, next to those works whose epicenter is based at the threshold between photography and painting, including abstract views of landscapes by the Berlin artist Michael Wesely. The Hamburger Banhof Museum is a world class showcase for contemporary art, and is well worth a visit.