Download PRESS KIT Museum Barberini extends an invitation to a press

PRESS KIT
Museum Barberini extends an invitation to a press conference in the empty building
#EmptyMuseum
on November 24 at 11 a.m., Humboldtstraße 5–6 (Alter Markt), 14467 Potsdam
Dr. Ortrud Westheider, Director of the Museum Barberini, the architect Thomas Albrecht,
and builder representative Willy Athenstädt introduce the newly reconstructed historical
Barberini Palace, comment on the program of events for the Visitor Days #EmptyMuseum
(Nov. 28 – Dec. 4,16), and take attendees on a tour of the empty museum. At this press
conference the new museum galleries can be visited for the first time. Following the Visitor
Days, the opening exhibitions Impressionism: The Art of Landschape and Modern Art
Classics: Liebermann, Munch, Nolde, Kandinsky (Jan. 23 – May 28, 2017) will be installed.
Panel:
Dr. Ortrud Westheider, Director of the Museum Barberini
Thomas Albrecht, Architect from Hilmer & Sattler
Willy Athenstädt, Builder Representative
The conference will be followed by a tour of the Museum Barberini
CONTENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
Visitor Days #EmptyMuseum
Barberini Palace: Its Reconstruction as a Modern Museum
Opening Exhibitions & 2017 Program of Events
Dr. Ortrud Westheider, Curriculum Vitae
Johanna Köhler
Leiterin Marketing und PR/
Head of Marketing and Public Relations
Museum Barberini gGmbH
Friedrich-Ebert-Str. 115
14467 Potsdam, Germany
T +49 331 97992-192
[email protected]
www.museum-barberini.com
Ursula Rüter & Stefan Hirtz
Projektbezogene Kommunikation
ARTEFAKT Kulturkonzepte
Marienburger Str. 16
10405 Berlin, Germany
T +49 30 440 10 686
[email protected]
www.artefakt-berlin.de
1.
Visitor Days #EmptyMuseum
With the Museum Barberini a new art museum is opening in Potsdam in January 2017.
Around eight weeks before the official opening, the public will have a chance to explore the
museum’s galleries from November 28 to December 4, 2016 before the artworks move in.
Starting now, guests wishing to take part in the many events held during the Visitor Days
can book free timed tickets through the Museum Barberini’s new website. Tickets to the
opening exhibition which begins on January 23, 2017 can also be purchased online.
During the Visitor Days guests can take tours or use the Barberini app to learn more about
the eventful history of the reconstructed palace, and discover how traditional craftsmanship
and innovative technology have been combined in the new building. The Museum Barberini
will look back on the palace’s days as a youth hostel, theater, cinema, civil registry office,
dance school, and concert hall. The Hybrid Letter Box shares eyewitness accounts of the
Barberini Palace by converting handwriting into digital entries in the visitors’ book directly.
The exhibition Barberini Palace: Stories of a Building sheds light on the history of the
Baroque palace, from its creation in 1771/72 until its destruction in 1945 and examines its
reconstruction from 2013 to 2016. During the Visitor Days the public can enjoy tours,
readings, films, dances, music and many new galleries and perspectives. Visitors can also
experience an exciting program of events every day from 12 to 9 p.m. between November
28 and December 4. Monday is dedicated to the building’s architecture with quick tours
through the museum and a talk held by the architect in the evening. Tuesday is all about art
for youth. Workshops and tours for young people and children will be held. On Wednesday
Bernd Geiling, company member of the Hans Otto Theater, will be recalling the palace as a
theatrical venue. On Thursday André Kubiczek will read from his novel A Sketch of Summer
and on Friday the museum will be transformed into a cinema with silent films by Hans
Richter, Man Ray and Fernand Léger set to the music of a DJ. In addition, couples wanting
to tie the knot can register to hold their marriage ceremony at the museum free of charge.
The following weekend begins on Saturday with tango classes and Argentine milonga with
tanguito Potsdam and DJ Ultimo Guapo. It ends on Sunday with a closing promenade
concert in cooperation with the Kammerakademie Potsdam.
Admission is free. Tickets may be purchased online and the full program can be found at
www.museum-barberini.com. Tickets are also available at the ticket desk in the museum
during the Visitor Days.
2.
Barberini Palace: Its Reconstruction as a Modern Museum
The Original Building
More than 250 years have passed since Frederick the Great commissioned the construction
of the Barberini Palace. This monumental building, which was known to citizens of Potsdam
as the Palast until into the twentieth century, had an eventful history. It was used as a
residential building and an event hall, and then an administration building until its destruction
at the end of the Second World War. Following its reconstruction as a museum, the
Barberini Palace once again assumes its previous use as a cultural center.
The Alter Markt (Old Market) with the City Palace was the centerpiece of Potsdam, the royal
seat. In the years after 1750, King Frederick the Great wanted to give the square a
representative appearance. He looked for magnificent models such as the ones he had seen
in etchings depicting Italian architecture. The Venetian art dealer Francesco Algarotti
advised him in this undertaking. Regarding a painting by the veduta painter Canaletto,
Algarotti had written that the style of painting consisted of “taking a real place and then
adorning it either with beautiful buildings located in entirely different places or with
architectural follies.” Frederick the Great transposed this notion of painting to urban planning
when he commissioned the architects Georg Christian Unger and Carl von Gontard to build
the Barberini Palace between 1771 and 1772 on the basis of a Roman model.
The Model
The model for the Barberini Palace was the palazzo of the same name in Rome. It was
commissioned by Taddeo and Francesco Barberini and erected by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in
cooperation with other architects in 1627–38.
The building in Potsdam features various modifications. The central section is smaller and
protrudes from the façade; in the Roman palazzo it is recessed. The most conspicuous
difference is the mezzanine floors in the Potsdam building, which were typical of local town
houses.
The front façade of the structure was imposing. Concealed behind it, however, was a simple
building owned by residents of the city. Commercial buildings were located in the courtyard.
In the nineteenth century, the Barberini Palace was believed by many to have been erected
for the ballet dancer Barbarina (Barbara Campanini), who enjoyed great popularity during
Frederick the Great’s reign. The dancer, however, only shares a name similar to that of the
palace.
From 1847 to 1851, King Frederick William IV had the Barberini Palace altered and
upgraded. The investors were the master masons Heinrich Zech and Adolph Wilhelm
Hecker, with the king contributing 80,000 thalers to subsidize the building costs. The plans
for the alterations were drawn up by Ludwig Persius, a Potsdam architect. He rebuilt the
building behind the decorative façade and adjusted it to fit the size of the front. Major
changes culminated in a new appearance: Two rearward side wings created elegant living
quarters and formed a courtyard accessible via the grand new portico.
Even after the alteration and rebuilding from 1847 – 1851, the Barberini Palace remained
situated on two separate properties with the house numbers 5 and 6. Little is known about
living conditions in the Barberini Palace. More than 40 families resided here.
Uses
Richly outfitted halls were situated on the two upper stories of the central building. They
were intended for use by the cultural societies that had been established in Potsdam in the
first half of the nineteenth century. Members of the seven societies met in the halls of the
Barberini Palace. The St. Lucas-Verein (Society of St. Luke) provided drawing and painting
lessons. The art society organized exhibitions and art raffles, and the literary society held
public readings. The music societies rehearsed for performances and organized concerts
whose proceeds went to charity. The Barberini Palace was an established part of Potsdam’s
cultural life. Musicians met here, including the pianists Clara Schumann and Anton
Rubinstein, as well as the conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler. In addition to the cinema, the
painters Max von Rüdiger and Carl Andreas Seeber ran a studio and a painting and drawing
school. Potsdamer Stange, a local beer, was served in the restaurant in the cellar.
In 1912, a municipal commemoration of the 200th birthday of Frederick the Great was held
in the festively decorated rooms of the Barberini Palace. The City of Potsdam bought the
building the same year. The first municipal institutions moved into the Barberini Palace in
1913. These included the civil registry office, the transport authority, and the tourism office.
In the 1920s and 1930s, the building also housed the public library, a telephone exchange,
the civil registry office, the youth hostel, a coal point, the office of economic affairs, and
storage rooms for the museum of local history.
Potsdam was subjected to multiple air raids over the course of the Second World War. The
city took protective air-raid measures that also affected the Barberini Palace. Blackout
curtains were purchased for the building in 1940. The fireproof potato cellar served as a
repository for the original construction plans of municipal buildings and sites. Air-raid
shelters were set up in the east wing. Apprentices in the city administration served as nightly
air-raid wardens in these rooms, which were also equipped with cots.
On April 14, 1945, shortly before the war ended, Allied forces carpet bombed the city,
destroying large sections of the center, including the Barberini Palace. The attack claimed
the lives of nearly 1,600 people.
In March, 1948, the remaining rubble of the Barberini Palace was removed. The ruins of the
fire-gutted City Palace stood until 1960, when the SED’s Politburo decided to demolish it in
spite of numerous objections. After the demolition, the area of the Alter Markt was used for
political rallies and events. Plans to reconstruct this central square during East German
times envisioned a municipal hall and a theater on the site of the former Barberini Palace.
The architect Günter Franke renewed the plans for a theater in 1985. The cornerstone was
laid four years later.
However, the shell of the building was torn down in 1991 following a resolution by municipal
councilors. A provisional theater, mockingly known as the “Tin Can,” stood on the site until
2006.
Reconstruction as the Museum Barberini
In 2005, the City of Potsdam decided to rebuild the City Palace in 2005. This provided the
impetus for the reconstruct the historical center around Alter Markt, formerly one of the most
beautiful squares in Europe, according to the original designs. Based on a resolution passed
in September 2010, the Barberini Palace was to be reconstructed as faithfully as possible as
“landmark building”. The main façades, the portico, and the size of the building were to
correspond to the original and allow access from Alter Markt to the bank of the Havel River.
The Berlin businessman Abris Lelbach abandoned his initial plan to use the Barberini Palace
as a hotel, making it possible for the cofounder of SAP, Hasso Plattner, to erect a museum
to house his art collection.
After a relatively short period of construction, from 2013 to 2016, the building was erected to
house art exhibitions based on plans by the Berlin architecture firm Hilmer & Sattler und
Albrecht. It meets all the standards of a modern museum. “The reconstructed Barberini
Palace is the perfect place to present paintings, and it is with great good fortune that other
locations under discussion for the museum project did not come to fruition. Instead we
received a proposal to rebuild the Barberini Palace as a museum,” said Plattner.
Exhibitions will be presented in 17 galleries at the Museum Barberini under the direction of
Ortrud Westheider. The building also provides space for a shop, a restaurant, and an
auditorium for readings, concerts and talks.
Thomas Albrecht from the firm Hilmer & Sattler und Albrecht was commissioned as the
architect for this special, historical building project. After a short construction period from
2013 to 2016, the building has been transformed into a museum that more than meets the
high standards demanded by international art lenders. “Thomas Albrecht has devised a
traditional structural design for the Museum Barberini that brings out the best in paintings.
With our opening exhibition, we look forward to presenting them to you in their new
surroundings,” says Dr. Ortrud Westheider, Director of the Museum Barberini. The main
façades of the building were based on historical photographs and constructed from Elbe
sandstone and plastered in the traditional manner. The entrance hall was given its original
design with columns and vaulting, using traditional handcraft techniques. High-quality
surfaces such as terrazzo, scagliola, and oak flooring complete the design of the building.
Well-documented plans existed for the ruined Barberini Palace which could be used for its
reconstruction, including photographical images from the 1920s and a cross-section of the
building. This allowed the builders to recreate and exact replica of the exterior with all its
historical inaccuracies. In order to make the building as authentic as possible, highly
specialized craftsmen, who usually restore churches and cathedrals, were employed.
3.
Opening Exhibitions & 2017 Program of Events
From January 23 to May 28, 2017 the Museum Barberini will be presenting two
opening exhibitions, providing insights into the collection. More than 170 works will
be on display.
Impressionism: The Art of Landscape
Impressionist landscapes were not spontaneous mood paintings but were used by artists as
a place to carry out their experiments. These artists liberated landscapes from their historic
and symbolic significance. Designed to appeal to all the senses, the exhibition
Impressionism: The Art of Landscape is divided into eight themes with 92 works which
represent landscape painting as the guiding genre of Impressionism. With works by artists
such as Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Gustave Caillebotte the exhibition brings
major representatives of Impressionism to Potsdam.
Modern Art Classics: Liebermann, Munch, Nolde, Kandinsky
The term modern art embodies change, while classic stands for timelessness. The exhibition
Modern Art Classics: Liebermann, Munch, Nolde, Kandinsky draws a line from German
Impressionism to Fauvism and Abstract Art after 1945 and addresses this dynamic era. With
over 60 works, it recounts Art Stories which reveal that modern art has more than one story
to tell.
Presentation of the collection: Artists in East Germany: A Look into the Collection
The Museum Barberini Collection includes major paintings from the former East Germany.
For the opening, two galleries present 20 works that illustrate a spectrum of painting that
ranges from Bernhard Heisig to Stefan Plenkers. One gallery is dedicated to the imagery of
Wolfgang Mattheuer, whose bronze Century Step has found a permanent home in the
garden of the Museum Barberini.
The website www.museum-barberini.com provides visitors with the opportunity to explore
individual works and a fun way to learn about the exhibitions. Surprising and amusing
perspectives fade Impressionist paintings into photographs taken on the same spot today. In
addition, the website presents videos and background information on the history of the
building and the artists in the collection, as well as Prof. Dr. h.c.mult. Hasso Plattner,
founder and patron of the Museum Barberini.
Outlook 2017/2018
Impressionism: The Art of Landscape
Modern Art Classics: Liebermann, Munch, Nolde, Kandinsky
January 23 – May 28, 2017
From Hopper to Rothko: America’s Road to Modern Art
June 17 – Oct. 3, 2017
The summer exhibition focuses on the development of American art from Impressionism to
Abstract Expressionism represented by masterpieces from The Phillips Collection,
Washington, D.C., America's first museum of modern art.
Behind the Mask: Artists in the GDR
Oct. 28, 2017 – Feb. 11, 2018
The exhibition explores the various ways East German artists walked the fine line between
their position as role models and their withdrawal from society, and between the collectivism
prescribed by the state and their own creative individuality.
SERVICE INFORMATION
Mon & Wed–Sun: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., first Thu in the month: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., closed Tue
Mon–Fri (except Tuesday) for kindergartens and schools upon prior registration: 9 – 11 a.m.
Admission: € 14 / Reduced: € 10 / Children and teens under 18: free
Book tickets online at www.museum-barberini.com
Museum Barberini
Humboldtstraße 5–6 (Alter Markt), 14467 Potsdam
Office Address:
Friedrich-Ebert-Str. 115, 14467 Potsdam
T +49 331 97992-185
[email protected]
www.museum-barberini.com
4.
Dr. Ortrud Westheider, Curriculum Vitae
Ortrud Westheider has been Director of the Museum Barberini since 2016. The art historian
wrote her doctoral thesis on Max Beckmann. From 2006 to 2016 she was Director of the
Bucerius Kunst Forum in Hamburg, which is supported by the ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin and Gerd
Bucerius. She began working at this newly founded exhibition institute in 2002 as curator.
While there, she designed numerous shows, including the exhibition trilogy 150 Years of
American Art: 1800–1950 (2007–2009). In addition, she curated the exhibitions Max
Beckmann: People by the Sea (2003), Frida Kahlo (2006), New York Photography 1890–
1950: From Stieglitz to Man Ray (2012), Rodchenko: A New World (2013), Mondrian: Color
(2014), and Picasso: Window to the World (2015).
“There is nothing more exciting than encountering original works of art. Let us show you.”
(Ortrud Westheider)