Heimsuchung: 40 Jahre KGM am Kulturforum

In the organizer's words:

An anniversary, such as the 40th anniversary of the Kunstgewerbemuseum (KGM), which opened in 1985 in the new building designed by Rolf Gutbrod at the Kulturforum in West Berlin, is often an occasion for a celebratory look back. The KGM chooses a different path and invites visitors to actively engage with the many layers of not only its history, but above all its future.

The exhibition "Visitation: 40 years of the KGM at the Kulturforum" is intended as a kind of séance - a collective listening to the echoes of the past, the potential of the present and the as yet unwritten future of the museum. Instead of a predetermined narrative, it opens up a space for the complex questions that have shaped this place for four decades.

Visions and ruptures

The history of the Kunstgewerbemuseum is characterized by visions and ruptures, not least due to the former division of East and West Berlin, which resulted in two locations for the museum that still exist today - the Kulturforum in West Berlin and Köpenick Palace in East Berlin.

The exhibition traces the founding idea of the house as an institution that would serve to educate the taste of craftsmen, its original driving forces as a teaching institution with a collection of models and the conflicts that accompanied such an idea deeply rooted in the 19th century. However, rather than presenting a self-contained version of the museum's history, parts of the collection, methodology and institutional past are shown in a way that brings the multi-layered nature of the museum to life.

What remains of this founding idea and how was it transferred into the 20th century? To answer this question, the Kulturforum can be consulted, which is not only a museum location, but also a place of diverse controversies and debates: Testimony to a vision of the future, whose present-day reality reflects the numerous compromises and unresolved issues in the history of the Kunstgewerbemuseum.

Home/search

The complex construction history of today's museum at the Kulturforum, which lasted almost 20 years, was accompanied by conflicts and potentials that were linked to new demands on the museum in general. They related to conservation and construction requirements, but above all to the museum's overriding mission and at the same time its claim to be a democratic place of education.

The exhibition is dedicated in particular to these social and museological realities, for which Rolf Gutbrod found a pioneering and much-noticed solution with the installation of a mediation gallery through the building. The exhibition sheds light on the successes and failures of a built vision, while at the same time lifting the curtain to provide insights into the reality that takes place in the restoration workshops and offices.

The future as an open question

The exhibition looks ahead and sees the future as an open process with great scope for design. In view of necessary upcoming changes, such as renovation, refurbishment and reorientation of content, the exhibition puts the future of the KGM up for discussion. It is not a final answer, but an open question posed in the language of the institution: as an invitation to the public to participate in the next chapter.

Team

Coordination and co-curation: Ann-Kathrin Illmann, Carina Kitzenmaier, Dr. Claudia Kanowski, Kevin (Finn) Strüder, Dr. Sibylle Hoiman

Graphic design: Kevin (Finn) Strüder, Carina Kitzenmaier

A special exhibition of the Museum of Decorative Arts - National Museums in Berlin

Price information:

Admission to the Museum of Decorative Arts: €10.00, concessions €5.00; free admission for children and young people up to and including the age of 18.