Art in Berlin

I won't say much. Here's the Bode Museum on Museumsinsel, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, and home to several museums:






Inside the Small Dome of the Bode:

The Bode has an excellent sculpture collection (I noticed that some were cross-eyed - what does that say about artistic integrity then versus now?), as well as art works from the late Roman and Byzantine periods and an extensive collection of coins. Several renditions of Christ on the crucifix had him as a wizened, worn out old man. I noticed that when archangels defeated Lucifer, they were tooled up, and he was not. Angels, as always, of indeterminate gender. German sculptures of the Virgin shared an errmmm unique face.

The New Synagogue on Oranienburger Straße:

Berlin victory column (Siegessäule):

The Pergamon contained the Museum of Islamic Art, which consisted of many examples of Koranic scripture on parchment, rugs and prayer mats. Interesting, but not quite a match for the 'Turks' exhibition at the Royal Academy in 2005 (which had examples of Islamic mosaics, tiles, amulets, etc). Shame I didn't take any snaps of the mighty Ishtar Gate.

The Great Altar of Pergamon:

Inside the Altes Museum:

The Altes is home the the amazing, exquisite bust of Nefertiti.

The best trip was to the BauhausArchiv. Here I found Alan 'Pentagram' Fletcher's clam ashtray for sale (but as I no longer smoke, I passed on it), Braun watches and Lamy pens (the Lamy 2000 no cheaper than in the UK, sob). The story of Gropius and Co. designing housing for Berlin's middle classes was told really well.