The exhibition “The attack of the present on the rest of time. Artistic Testimonies of War and Repression” shows historical and contemporary works of art that address state violence and oppression. The project is a cooperation between Brücke-Museum and Schinkel Pavillon.

The starting point is the complexly linked history of the two institutions. The Schinkel Pavilion is located in the garden of the former Crown Prince Palace, which in the early 20th century built the New department hosted by the National Gallery. In this world's first public collection of artistic modernism, the bridge-Artists collected and exhibited as museums early on — until the National Socialists confiscated, removed and in some cases even destroyed hundreds of works of art, primarily expressionist, as “degenerate.” Some of the works defamed during this time were detoured into the Brücke-Museum founded 30 years later, which is dedicated to the group of artists of the same name.

Against the backdrop of the war unleashed by Russia in Ukraine, the exhibition sees the past as continuity and present. Works from the 1930s and 1940s by Käthe Kollwitz, Elfriede Lohse-Wächtler or Felix Nussbaum enter into a dialogue with the works of Simone Fattal, Nora Turato or Lawrence Abu Hamdan.

We are delighted that we were able to contribute to the multi-faceted exhibition with loans from Oscar Zügel, Lea Grundig, Eric Isenburger, Dora Bromberger and Leo Breuer. The exhibition catalog contains texts about the artists from our collection by Vanessa Arndt, Marielena Buonaiuto and Hanna Sauer.

The vernissage took place during Berlin Art Week, so our team took the opportunity to discover other art venues and museums after the opening in Berlin-Dahlem. The exhibition can be seen until January 7, 2024.

More information about the Brücke-Museum