Deutsches Historisches Museum - Verf�hrung Freiheit. Kunst in Europa seit 1945 - Blog

One of the many problems museum conservators have with contemporary or modern art is how to actually conserve and preserve the art works. Many of them were never made to last longer than a couple of months – the duration of an exhibition – or just a couple of hours or days. Not to mention those cases in which art works were not recognized as such and cleaned or thrown away. A nightmare for any artist or conservator.  

Our exhibition has just opened in Tallinn – the third and for now last station of 'The Desire for Freedom. Art in Europe since 1945'. Not only has the city (and country) changed, also the name is different: 'Critique and Crises. Art in Europe since 1945' is the new and at the same time old title. Why old?

Vor einigen Wochen rief das Residenzmuseum München zur Kultur-Blogparade 2013 auf. Kulturinstitutionen wurden gebeten über ihren Arbeitsalltag zu berichten, hinter die Kulissen zu schauen, über anstehende Projekte, Ausstellungen und Veränderungen zu erzählen. Nun haben wir das Zeitfenster (Frist war Sonntag, der 17.02.) leider verpasst (und entschuldigen uns vielmals dafür!), wollten aber dennoch kurz ein paar Zeilen schreiben, wie es bei uns weitergeht. 

Last week 15 young people from across Europe visited us with the idea of using their tour of the exhibition as the background for a discussion about freedom. The workshop was organised by the Körber Foundation. Much has happened during these four days and there is much to show you, because some aspects required their creativity. The artworks, for example, may not be photographed for copyright reasons, which presented us with the problem—as was the case with our #MuseUp—of wanting to talk about art without being allowed to show it. Ten workshop participants, however, didn’t let these little details get in their way and simply went about reinterpreting the works.

Our Tuesday Question for today is: What did our young Europeans do and what was the outcome?

Yesterday marked the end of our four-month presentation of The Desire for Freedom in Berlin. The artworks are already being packed for transport. The opening in the Palazzo Reale in Milan will happen in one month. Yesterday we held a closing event for The Desire for Freedom, although it is not common practice at the DHM.