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

The story of Monika Flacke’s night on the Serbo-Croatian border has meanwhile become a legend for the team, said our intern Cora Smidt-Ott. We see it that way, too. It happened on the way from Zagreb to Belgrade, when our curator Monika Flacke was refused permission to cross from Croatia to Serbia. It was in February, 2009, in the middle of the night, and she didn’t have a passport. But she will tell you herself how it came about and how it played out. 

For two years, our curators travelled across all of Europe in search of artworks for our exhibition. And anyone who travels has a story (or two) to tell. Every Friday, we would like to recount one of these stories. In our first story, co-curator Ulrike Schmiegelt tells how her intuition about the whereabouts of a mislaid ring led to a successful loan.

Every exhibition begins with an idea. The idea of The Desire for Freedom. Art in Europe since 1945 was to examine European values on the basis of the idea of the Enlightenment. What actually binds Europe together, when socialism and democracy irreconcilably confronted each other for so long? And how can values and ideas be presented beyond geographical and political boundaries?

The curators of the exhibition set out on a journey to research these questions. They travelled for two years across all of Europe. During their journey, they not only involuntarily spent a night at the Serbo-Croatian border, but also successfully acquired over 200 loan agreements. And the journey continues: Milan, Tallinn, and Krakow are the next destinations for The Desire for Freedom. Art in Europe since 1945.

We therefore want to try our hand at travel blogging (and tips are always welcome), recounting the travels taken through Europe by our curators, artworks, and exhibition.