At last, the art students were able to dive into the contemporary art scene of Berlin, Germany this past week. It was a nice and faster switch up from the slower cobblestone streets of Rome.
As soon as we dropped off our bags, we saw the magnificent contemporary art show, Moving is in Every Direction, at Hamburger Bahnof. Afterwards, we met with Sicilian-born artist, Vanessa Alessi, and took a small tour of the middle of the city. We saw the Parliament building and got lost in the famous Memorial for Murdered Jews in Europe.
The following day we viewed a Lucian Freud show at Martin Gropius Bau, several galleries in the area, and the Berlin Wall. We also ate a late lunch at a restaurant where the currywurst and beer were amazing. Sunday was a little lighter with a visit to the Gemäldegalerie followed by local thrift shopping!
We spent Monday morning drifting through the ancient collections at Museum Island. It was followed by a guided tour of the Boros Art Collection stored within a repurposed German refugee bunker.
On Monday, we had a studio visit with Polish painter, Aneta Kajzer, winner of the 2017 Künstlerhaus Bethanien Winsor & Newton Scholarship. We were so excited to hear her talk about her work and her experience as a young artist. Afterwards, we were able to view the Berlin Wall Museum and some large scale murals by Italian street artist, Blue.
With flight tickets so cheap, I’d go back to Berlin any day.