Arrival of the first artworks from the Dossier Gurlitt at the Kunstmuseum Bern
The first artworks have arrived for the exhibition in Bern: Gurlitt: Status Report. “Degenerate Art” – confiscated and sold. The press event at the Kunstmuseum Bern presented a sampling of works by Otto Dix, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Franz Marc, August Macke, and Otto Mueller from the Gurlitt art trove and explained the necessary conservation measures.
The export and customs formalities, which delayed the arrival of the works last week, are now solved and with the arrival of the artworks at the Kunstmuseum we can launch the next phase in preparing for the upcoming exhibition. The Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn and the Kunstmuseum Bern are planning simultaneous exhibitions, each with a separate thematic focus and presenting samplings of the artworks from the Cornelius Gurlitt legacy. The presentations are embedded in an overall historical context and based on the latest findings in research on the Gurlitt art trove. The content of the exhibitions has been carefully coordinated. The openings will be taking place on November 1, 2017, at the Kunstmuseum Bern and on November 2, 2017, at the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn.
The Kunstmuseum Bern will be showing some 200 artworks, most of which were confiscated from German museums as “degenerate art.” These holdings comprise mainly works on paper, among them outstanding pieces representing art movements from symbolism, expressionism, and constructivism to new objectivity. At the same time, the exhibition addresses the politics behind the scenes, the politics that led to the vilification and exploitation of modern art.
In Bonn the exhibition focus is on art that was confiscated by the National Socialists as a result of persecution. The provenances of many of the artworks could not yet be clarified.
Conservation and preservation workshop
Prior to the exhibition, the artworks of the Gurlitt legacy will be examined in a workshop that has been set up especially for this purpose and for undertaking measures for the conservation of the artworks. Guided tours in the “Gurlitt Workshop” and information panels address questions and problems on themes related to diagnostic tools for collecting data on artworks, their presentation, the professional storage of artworks, and researching their provenance. Through a window you can see for yourself what is going on in the workshop, and you can find the most recent literature on the topic for further reading in our reading-lounge area. The Gurlitt Workshop will be taking place from August 18, 2017.
