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New book publication of the Berlin Kunstkammer

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Neue Buchpublikation Berliner Kunstkammer
Press release,

Research cooperation between the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the National Museums in Berlin publishes results of the DFG-funded project "The Window on Nature and Art. A historical-critical reappraisal of the Brandenburg-Prussian Kunstkammer".

We cordially invite you to the book launch on 26 January 2023 from 5:00 to 6:30 PM at the Kulturforum (Foyer), Matthäikirchplatz, 10785 Berlin (admission free).

The Berlin Kunstkammer as such never existed. In the course of its long history, the electoral and then royal institution underwent continuous change. In dealing with the collection, the protagonists constantly reinvented the Brandenburg-Prussian Kunstkammer. The book The Berlin Kunstkammer. Collection History in Object Biographies from the 16th to the 21st Century takes an innovative approach to the multiple meanings of the history of the collection by examining the history of its objects. Like prisms, these holdings refract the history of the Kunstkammer from its beginnings around 1600 to the present day, showing the kaleidoscopic meanings attributed to artefacts and natural objects.

The texts, written by authors from a variety of disciplines, trace the early history of Berlin’s modern museum landscape and the differing paths that brought objects into the collections. The contributions present the results of a joint DFG research project by the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, and the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. In addition, the virtual research environment developed in the project offers digital access to central documents and a large number of objects from the Brandenburg-Prussian Kunstkammer from the 16th to 19th centuries.

The book presentation will take place within the series "WEITWINKEL – Global Perspectives on Collections" organised by the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, which deals with transcultural and socially relevant topics. The focus of the book launch is therefore on the multi-layered histories of the objects' origins, their permanently changing attributions of meaning and their paths into the Berlin museums. With the researchers: Marcus Becker, Horst Bredekamp, Eva Dolezel, Meike Knittel, Diana Stört and Sarah Wagner.

The Berliner Kunstkammer. The Berlin Kunstkammer. Collection History in Object Biographies from the 16thto the 21st Century. Edited by Marcus Becker, Eva Dolezel, Meike Knittel, Diana Stört, and Sarah Wagner for the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, and the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Translated by Adam Blauhut, Allison Brown, and Tom Lampert. Michael Imhof Verlag, Petersburg 2023 (280 S.) 39,95 €

The book publication and virtual research environment are the results of the DFG-funded project "The Window on Nature and Art. A historical-critical reappraisal of the Brandenburg-Prussian Kunstkammer", which was carried out by the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin from 2018 to 2022.

Neue Publikation zur Berliner Kunstkammer Neue Publikation zur Berliner Kunstkammer (c) Carola Radke
Neue Publikation zur Berliner Kunstkammer Neue Publikation zur Berliner Kunstkammer (c) Carola Radke

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