Logo Exhibition - Reinhold Begas - Monuments for the German Empire
DHM - Duration of the exhibition
Poster - Reinhold Begas - Monuments for the German Empire

Reinhold Begas – Monuments for the German Empire
An exhibition on the centenary of the death of the sculptor
Reinhold Begas (1831-1911)

 

An exhibition of the German Historical Museum
Curator: Dr. Esther Sophia Sünderhauf
Research assistant: Dr. Wolfgang Cortjaens

 

PlakatmotivThe exhibition commemorates one of the most influential artists of his era. As creator of some of Berlin’s greatest monuments, such as the Neptune -Fountain and the National -Monument, and as portraitist of many famous -individuals, he shaped the visual world of the German Empire. The exhibition begins with the artist’s early years in Berlin, describes his stays in Rome where, together with his artist friends Böcklin, Feuerbach and Lenbach, he developed the “Neo-Baroque” style, and provides insight into his studio and portrait work. A main section deals with Begas’ memorials and monuments for Berlin, commissioned by three Kaisers, and examines their politically motivated destruction after the Second World War in East and West Germany.

 

The exhibition and catalogue enter new ground: the last display of Begas’ works took place in 1911, the last monograph appeared in 1901. The exhibition aims to reawaken public awareness of this important artist of his time. On display are 235 sculptures, paintings, photographs and documents, most of them never shown before, which provide an impressive overview of Begas’ life and oeuvre. At the same time, they reveal the political iconography of the imperial age and a broad panorama of the history of art and culture in Berlin.

Please click the headlines to enter the exhibition areas
Floor Plan I.M. Pei Building - second floor Time Horizon Ancestry and Youth Teachers and Training Rise to Success Rome and the'German-Romans' Figure, Portait and Casting The Sculptor's Studio Public Monuments and their Afterlife Begas Reception Iconoclasm at the End of the Second World War The National Monument to Kaiser Wilhelm I in Berlin Monument Dedications Cult of the Monument Monuments and the Public The Demolition of the Monuments 1949-1954 Begas Today
Floor Plan I.M. Pei Building - second floor - German Historical Museum
DHM - Exhibition Bottom