Tag: artists

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Fleeting memories

Our memory function is challenged once we travel. There are so many new impressions that ask for prime time in memory, but our capacities to safely store every detail of it is rather limited. On his voluntary travels, less when going into exile, Victor Hugo drew places with astonishing architectural detail and made literary descriptions on the back of the copy. The ruins of a gothic church in Bacharach (Germany) on the banks of the Rhine are a great example of his attempts to beat the fleeting memory. The ink and graphite pencil drawing date back to 1840. The imagery of the abandoned church, itself rich in memories of conflict by way of drawing details inscribes deeply into his own memory. A description in words on the back of this piece reinforces this effect beyond the mental exercise of precision versus dramatic blurriness. Repeating this exercise months later would reveal our fleeting memories when traveling. A great technique which is still valuable 186 years later. 

Church ruins at Bacharach by Victor Hugo 1840 exhibt at Maison de Victor Hugo Paris

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Hugo voyage

Victor Hugo traveled for inspiration to neighboring countries. He has been attracted to o mysterious places and its people. In his booklets of such inspirational journeys he drew images of several architecturally interesting places. “Burg” meaning castle was a recurrent subject trying to capture the mysteries about such medieval places and their surroundings. The rivers “Rhein”,”Nahe” and “Mosel” in Germany were a great source of inspiration for him. The images drawn of “Burg Eltz” as well as others (Andernach from 1840, image below left) testify to this. The Home of Victor Hugo in Paris, Place des Vosges features in 2026-8 his drawings which seem to have served him as studies in architecture and sometimes as idea of maybe a scenery for his theatre pieces. Of course, his drawings of cathedrals similar to “Notre Dame” in Paris are also among those ink sketches. To get scared a bit, traveling might suffice and then write it down and sketch it. Franco-German influences can be found in many European artists of the 19th century as well as today.  

Victor Hugo home in Paris exhibition on his drawings of architecture 2026-8

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Painter influencer

In modern terminology we could say Edgar Degas has been an influencer for many other painters, gallerists, art collectors and our way to look and interpret paintings or drawings. Max Liebermann wrote an appreciation of the work of Degas for a German audience in an attempt to bridge the gaps in the understanding of modern art between France and Germany towards the end of the 19th century. Cassirer as editors facilitated the publication and jointly they achieved to build a remarkable collection of impressionism before the atrocities of war took over in the first half of the 20th century. Fates can change quickly and painter influencer may become discredited due to more forceful political influences. (Image: Booklet by Max Liebermann 1898 on Degas in Cassirer exhibition in Berlin) 

Max Liebermann on Edgar Degas published by Cassirer

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Splendid networks

The art of gallerists is to blend networks. Some of them manage to create splendid networks that make history in the best sense of the words. The exhibition on the gallerist Cassirer made this argument in a forceful manner. He had a large network of persons interested in art and modern ideas as well as access to a network of artists who challenged the conventional arts of the time, later coined as the impressionists. The overlap of interests created a special market of art which met in his gallery in Berlin Tiergarten. Lots of take home lessons for us. 

Cassirer exhibition Neue Nationalgalerie Berlin 2026-8

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Healing in museum

The topic of healing has a long tradition in museums. For example, in the Paintings Gallery (Gemäldegalerie) in Berlin “The healing of Tobit” (1630) by a follower of Caravaggio depicts the healing of eyesight with the aid of angel Raphael (extract of image below). The Bode museum also in Berlin in the vicinity of the Charité hospital proposed workshops to test or experience the healing through meditation techniques in the museum sitting on cushions while focusing on a statue for a while. Guided mindfulness workshops or own meditation sessions could be held during the visit. Museums can work as healing places to calm anxiety or release from stress.

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Gone birding

Birding is fascinating science and hobby. The recent advances in bird song recognition allow to compare the sometimes complex melodies across species. The support by many citizen scientists who collect data on sound, images and environment, made it possible to identify 8 major types of sound snippets. These constitute the basis from which to study or imitate the major bird songs, if you like. The scientific paper by Bacquele et al. (2026) shows that in dense forests the songs are more complex, whereas in open space simple tunes allow to travel far across space. Mating potentials seem to play an interesting role as well. But birding does not stop there. The Brancusi exhibits in the „Neue Nationalgalerie“ in Berlin deal also with the fascination about birds by the artist (image below). We also find depictions of the „bird-man“ in mythology more than 3000 years before our time and ever since. Flying probably brings together our science and dreams about birds and mankind. Science fiction is full of examples of that kind.

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Ensor Home

There are few artists who stayed in their home for almost all their life. James Ensor was a personality who was profoundly attached and continually attracted to his native city of Ostend. After a short and unsuccessful spell at the Brussels art academy, he returned to his parents’ home and due to a heritage from an uncle, he could live in a nearby house, which also served him as his atelier. Although I did not come across documents that showed he had traveled a lot, nowadays his art work is spread across the globe. The seaside resort of Ostend was a real tourist destination and, therefore, many famous people of the 1st half of the century passed by and met with Ensor there. Not only fellow artists, but also scientists like Albert Einstein. Critical minds and people searching beyond the trodden paths must have been attracted to him, a personality who dared to challenge conventional painting and techniques of his time. A reconstruction of his atelier and several animations give a lively modern touch to his work and living style. My take home message from the Ensor Home: The search for inspiration might be just around the corner. 

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Gone reading

From time to time we should reflect on our scope of reading experiences. Over time, a certain bias for probably predominantly Western European or western parts of the world is likely. Therefore, it is an interesting experience to consciously choose authors from a broader geographical background.  The reading, which originates or takes its motivation from an exhibition, is a good start to broaden reading, particularly if images enliven the reading experience. The art work by Yinka Shonibare CBE on display in Berlin at the Palais Populaire manages to make this point in a colorful, compelling fashion.
It is difficult to assess what we have missed so far without having embarked on a longer reading journey. (Image: extract from Yinka Shonibare CBE, 2022, “The African Library Collection (Poets)”

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Hybrid art

Bringing together 2 kinds of art makes hybrid art. Just as other fields of art have combined for example music with text to create the art form of songs as of the medieval ages, for example, the emancipation of another form of hybrid art is gaining prominence, text incorporated into or in cooperation with painting. The incorporation of text into paintings, sculptures or installations represents a drive to ise multiple channels of communication with an audience. Each might be sensitive to a specific word or sound, which creates an entry to gain attention or enlarge awareness for some cause. The “Palais Populaire” in Berlin displays the combination of the collection of the Deutsche Bank Art collection and the “Written Art Collection” to make this point with some forceful pieces of hybrid art focusing on text in art. (Image: Extract from “Map of utopia” by Qiu Zhijie, shown at “Seeing words, reading imagesSeeing words, reading images” at the Palais Populaire” in Berlin 2026-5). 

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Latent social structure

In empirical approaches to sociology we occasionally apply “latent variables analyses”. The aim is to uncover links between data that are not obvious in standard analyses of data. We are pretty convinced by evidence that age correlates with the probability of death. However, most tragedies are created around exceptional counter examples to this “rational expectation”. We also somehow have an intuition about the positive effect of social networks or the social fabric in a more general sense on living and survival. In some of those latent variable models we find evidence for an underlying factor without being able to properly name or frame it. Hence, as social scientists we continue to be interested in ways to make latent social structures more visible. With such an approach in mind I visited the exhibition by author and photographer “John Kolya Reichart” in the “Schöneberg Museum” entitled “Die Kette” (The Chain, 2026-5). The start of the chain is a familiar person in your neighborhood who leads you to the next person and so on. It is explicitly a non-random procedure, which complements proceedings of strictly random sample selection of survey methodologies. The sources for bias outcomes are multiple, however, an underlying or latent social fabric of a friendship and support mechanisms can be shown. Besides the b/w portraits and audios, giving a justification for the choice, the documentation of the process of production gives more insights into the risks and potentials of this form of insights into latent social structures.
(Image: Schoeneberg Museum, “Die Kette” by John Kolya Reichart)

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Taking a break

The time a researcher spends reading is still above average, I suppose. Even in times of AI doing astonishing summaries of documents and texts in general, we still need to check the output by reading as well. Taking a break from data compilation and writing, it’s time to do other reading. The Staatsbibliothek tries to lure people studying and researching there into their „Reading Lounge“. In 2026-5 the proposed reading is poetry. Based on the recommendations by an expert group 10 titles of German and 10 translations of poetry are available with direct access for onsite reading. The shift from on screen reading to paper based reading gives your eyesight a break. Your mind wonders off to something else. Much better concentration and new synapses afterwards. Why is still so difficult to take a break this way? We are working on it. 

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Valuable Donations

The of a donation to a national gallery is often a curse but may reveal only much later as a blessing. More galleries across the world give due credit to their generous donors. The collection of impressionist paintings by Caillebotte figures today very promising in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. The fine collection by Chistoph Müller endowed to today‘s “Kupferstichkabinett” exposed in the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin has been on display in a small room. The „Kräuterblätter” (herbes on paper) by Kolbe 1815/1824 are fine pieces of etching with a focus on what might get lost in our biodiversity in coming years. Old trees were surely on his list (Oak trees 500+ years old). A collection of depictions of herbs and flowers a part of an ecological treasure which the generations after the painter and eventually the collector Christoph Müller began to value a lot. Some collectors are far ahead of their time by treasuring the past. (Image: Extract of „Kräuterblatt mit Schnitterin“ Kolbe 1815/24 Donation Christoph Müller shown in Gemäldegalerie Berlin 2026-5)

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Portrait of or about

In some galleries or for curators of an exhibition, the crucial question is not only the overall message, but the best positioning of artworks in the available space. In many national galleries what hangs next to another piece is rarely seen as an opportunity for exploration and experimentation. A recent visit to the “Gemäldegalerie“ in Berlin allowed to explore the vicinity of 2 paintings, which are very different in appearance. The one (by Pierre Subleyras 1740) is just entitled “Portrait of a woman”, the other one next to it, “Virgin and Child Enthroned, with Angels and Two Saints, Domenico Mondo 1773). The former portrait has almost a modern touch to it as the beauty consists in the simplicity of the person depicted, whereas the latter painting portrays a rather empty message of splendor and power. The conscious confrontation of portraits or paintings with each other is the high art of curatorship. It is even more pointed than a guided tour of a gallery as the simultaneous rather than the sequential confrontation is the issue. 

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Woman artist scandal

The painter Hermine Schmidt-von Preuschen, little known today, had to face strong forces in the established art community of her time. The skills and audacity she displayed at an early stage of her career as painter is epitomized in her work “Imperator Mors”. This painting dates back to 1887 and was rejected by the art academy in Berlin for their official exhibition. The woman artist was already at that time confident enough that her painting was of sufficient quality to deserve to be not only considered in the exhibition, but also to be seen by larger audiences. Similar to the refused painters of the impressionist movement, she decided to mount her own exhibition. The turnout to this proved to be quite a success according to the press cuttings presented as part of the exhibition in Berlin at the “Alte Nationalgalerie” 2026-5. Maybe it was the intended philosophical topic or message that killed the chances to be part of the art academy exhibition. “Imperator Mors” shows death or a skeleton to be the ultimate ruler of our fate. For all those who believe in some sort of life after death, this can be viewed as a “Scandal” in itself. The scandal created with such a depiction probably overshadowed the fact that the provocation came from a woman artist. Still very avantgarde for the end of the 19th century. (Image: Hermine Schmidt-von Preuschen and her painting Imperator Mors 1887)

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Brancusi polyartist

The joint exhibition by the “Neue Nationalgalerie” Berlin and the “Centre Pompidou” Paris has the simple title “Brancusi”. The name of the artist Brancusi stands for a very singular approach to take sculpture into the 20th century by way of abstraction. Brancusi used all sorts of materials like lime stone, bronze, wood and marble. Additionally, he was very conscious of the fact that especially for sculptures the “mise en scène” plays a vital role. Brancusi excelled in this in a rather unique way, mostly by confronting different materials with each other. Sculptures, for him, were architecture in miniature. Such a polyartist approach to sculpture pushed him to use photography and video to not only promote his own work, but to exploit these relatively new techniques to enhance the effect of his sculptures.
Maybe it took almost 100 years that by means of the “not-so-social media” not-instant, anytube and tikytok, this “modus operandi” would capture a whole generation of youth to follow in his footsteps without knowing it. The polyartist Brancusi is a unique milestone, not only using lime stone, on the trajectory of sculpture beyond the early 20th century. The links to other innovative artists chosing abstraction, Picasso or Modigliani, as well as musicians like Eric Satie, reflect the importance of social networks for mutual encouragement when treading new paths in art.

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Pictures at an exhibition

The playlist on Spotify, which accompanies the exhibition “Unforgettable” in Ghent, is an interesting extension of the unforgettable artists into today and tomorrow. You may be inclined to share your opinion in the way Maria Iskariot does it in “Dat find ik lekker” or more like Sophie Straat in “Dansen met de dood”. Anyway, women artists are coming front stage and this is great news despite all the backlashes we, unfortunately, witness in the 2020s. The curator of the playlist Murielle Scherre has managed to take us, a bit like the exuberant Modest Mussorgsky in his “Pictures at an exhibition”, beyond the marvelous exhibition rooms to a broad exploration of contemporary women artists’ world of imagination in music, visuals and songs. A great intergenerational accomplishment. 

Screenshot
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Forgotten but Unforgettable

Many women painters and artists who worked during the 17th and first half of the 18th century have been forgotten until recently. The galleries of the time and many years later gave little attention to the women artists of that time. Most of them were relegated to be of minor importance in the course of art history. The exhibition of the Museum of the Fine Arts Ghent in Belgium has accomplished to rectify this place of women painters in art history. The fine pieces of art, ranging from painting to sculptures, were frequently signed by men, probably to achieve higher market values and become visible in the public sphere at all at their time.
The exhibition is a kind of a revelation of how difficult it was for women to move from an “object of art” to be the subject painting including painting themselves. This also dealt with the view or regard of others towards women. Additionally, the exhibition features a section on “Social Expectations”, which deals with the expectations of the Flemish and Dutch societies towards women. Family values, marriage, wealth and social status were of utmost importance.
These women painters were forgotten far too long, but have staged their comeback as “Unforgettable” in the 21st century.
(Image: “Pictura at an exhibition” taken in the MSK Ghent 2026-4)

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Before and After

It is not always easy to precisely identify the state of before a transformation from the state of after a transformation. In human developments we can observe lengthy periods of for example puberty. Other transformations of biological changes might be more obvious to identify like a broken bone, but a broken heart transformation might be less obvious as it might occur gradually and progressively rather than abruptly. Much the same can be said about illnesses like diabetes or cancer. The task of science is to study the whole process and this includes the theoretical model of such transformations. The arts have dealt with this complexity before and many artifacts take care to show or make explicit the kind of transformation they have undergone. The woodwork by Birkenmaier (before 1687, in catalog of Metamorphosis exhibition, Amsterdam 2026. Image below) is an early example of being honest about original piece and the evolution of the piece of art into the transformed “oeuvre”.

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Metamorphosis

In the antique writings of Ovid “Metamorphosis” there is an extensive description and mystery about the metamorphosis of several characters. The narrative about various forms of metamorphosis has influenced our perception of change as having a mystic component. The arts before the enlightenment have drawn lots of sceneries of metamorphoses across the centuries. Maybe in form of sculpture this narrative has continued to be present even into the 20th century. The exhibition at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the essays in the catalog testify to this long shadow of Ovid’s original narrative. No need to mention Kafka as another adept of “Verwandlung” or Rodin, who reveals persons as semi-detached from stone. Wood and the return to ashes shows us the come and go of metamorphosis of human beings. Imagining mankind as a sequence of metamorphoses is a metaphysical as well as sociological perspective of our presence on our planet. (Image: Daphne transformed into a Laurel tree, Bernard Salomon, 1557). 

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AI Motion Sculpture

At the Festival Noûs in Paris, the collaboration of AI with artists was a major event. Based on the huge collections of the BNF in form of data bases it is possible to join the 3 worlds of library conservation, technological innovation like AI and the imagery of artists. In the preparation of the exhibits and the parallel documentation of the genesis of the exhibits of the artists, the creative potential and process becomes more evident and understandable to broader audiences. The exhibit by Tobias Gremmler, Anatomy of Motion (2026 see below), captures the motion of a dancing body in a sculpture based on a 3D printing of a series of images blended into each other. with a fast photography camera, known from sports images previously, the dynamics of a motion become a tangible sculpture. The intriguing new form is in fact a motion that has been captured or has cristalized or materialized in a permanent fashion. New technologies and materials enter into art as they offer new ways of expression as well. The collection of art and documentation centers shall enter into new phases as well. (Image: Tobias Gremmler, Anatomy of Motion (2026) at BNF 2026-4).

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Art and fashion

There is fashionable art and arty-ish fashion. The links between art and fashion are manifold and new explorations of the link are always an interesting variation of the original theme. The Berlin “Gemäldegalerie“ has added a contemporary perspective in connection with Berlin fashion week 2026 to the already rich collection on the topic. The exhibition confronts the craft of the world of fashion represented by the dresses on actual display with photographs of those dressed worn by models against the backdrop of the historic inspiration. Add sound and video to this format and you will be close to total immersion into the world of art and fashion yourself. Art and fashion may be a part of all us, not only the privileged few in society. It is most of all a question of crafts related to art, design and fashion, which dominates the creative process. A strong message from all involved in the project to the visitors.

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Paper and Scissors

In order to produce art it is not always necessary to have expensive materials at your disposal. Henri Matisse has demonstrated that paper and scissors can go a long way. With this in mind, the work by Johanna Beckmann, shown in the upper hall of the “Kulturforum” in Berlin, is quite astonishing. Beckmann relied on just paper and scissors, in addition to her paper and pencil work, to illustrate her own texts as well as collections of fairy tales. Her paper cuts of some hobbit stories might be remembered by a whole generation of children and even some of today’s world. Paper cuts and theatre based on such figures have been a cross-cultural treasure. The illustration of stories, but also the creation of own characters might be derived from such cuts using just paper and scissors. The “Kunstbibliothek” and the “Lette-Verein”-academy in Berlin joined forces for this exhibition and they both continue to transmit this creative craft to students actively involved in this “intergenerational exhibition”. Please bring your (grand 😉 children.
All those who travelled to Paris recently will be well aware that at “Montmartre” you can still have your profile cut these days. At this exhibition there is a “do-it-yourself” section, not only reserved to children.

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Art Utopia

Not all art is utopia, but a lot of it. A series of talks on the issue of utopia in art  (BNF) reminds us on the utopian projects many artists have pursued in the history of art. From a non-believer’s point of view, religious depictions belong to some form of utopian art. Much later art movements proposed to bring art closer to people’s lives by spreading decorative art to objects of the daily lives, like furniture, dresses, jewelry. Different forms of experimentation with materials or art styles reveal a taste for freedom of expression, sometimes of a utopian kind, at least at the time of experimenting. Abstract art opens up thought spaces which may appear like verylong shots into a very distant future. Science-fiction is of course a well known form of dealing with and representing utopian ideas to larger audiences. Maybe it is this curated space of utopia which many people seek when going to exhibitions and galleries. (Image: Giovanni Bellini, Resurrection of Christ, Gemäldegalerie Berlin). 

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Konzerthaus Organ

In the Espresso Concert series we have had the chance to listen to young talented musicians. On 2026-1-7 Julian Emanuel Becker charmed the audience with 5+1 pieces in the “Großer Saal“ on the Jehmlich Organ (4 manuals, 74 registers, 5811 pipes). The program ranged from Bruhns, Bach, Mendelssohn Bartholdy to 2 pieces by Jehan Alain, which made for an interesting surprise. Mastering this huge Konzerthaus organ with impressive skills at just 20 years of age caught the attention of the Berlin audience including the tourists on visits. The enthusiasm of Julian Emanuel Becker for his instrument and the brief introductions he gave himself to each piece created a unique learning as well as musical experience for the entire audience irrespective of age and prior expertise. The „Espresso addicts“ of the Konzerthaus even took the chance to chat with the young organist to learn more about the marvelous instrument and the next steps in his promising career. The studies in Paris at the Conservatoire have been important steps in the careers of formidable pianists and composers for more than 200 years. Becker will surely return to Berlin to give concerts again. Try to catch a seat, if you can. (Image: Julian Emanuel Becker 2026-1-7 at the Konzerthaus Jehmlich Organ)

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Rilke’s Advice

One of the poems by Rainer Maria Rilke is entitled “You don’t have to understand life”.
And the first line of the first paragraph just repeats the programmatic sentence of the quite revolutionary romantic movement. Following a century of the enlightenment, which narrowly developed and focused on rationality and Kant’s “Critic of pure reasoning”, the authors of the romantic movement were eager to explore the world beyond reasoning again.
“Du mußt das Leben nicht verstehen,
dann wird es werden wie ein Fest.”
Rilke brings back the exuberant, Dionysian element into literature and captured the new spirit of his time. After a period of fast innovation in the sciences and applications of them in day-to-day life, Rilke revels in the innocent days and years during childhood, where youth is simply asking for more without hindsight. In doing so: “Life will be a like a feast”. So be it, we should like to add. (Rilke wrote a poem « Das Karussell » with subtitle Jardin du Luxembourg, Image below)

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Konzerthaus Espresso

Classical music in classicist architecture sounds like a perfect match. The audience is packed with people mostly 60+ years of age. One of the spectators happily admitted that without the espresso before the concert she would have a hard time to follow closely because after lunch at 2 p.m it is time for a rest rather than excitement.
The series of short concerts at lunchtime suits particular audiences. It is probably the only concert series where the queue in front of the toilet of men is equally long than the one for women. The short concert program allows for more experimental formats as well. Musicians who develop a solo program of shorter than standard concert hall duration can appear in high reputation locations and gain experience of performing in such prestigious settings.
With a “Zugabe” from the performer, but also in form of a small piece of chocolate for the audience at the exit, 21st century, classical Berlin knows how to charm its aging audience and population. Young performers learn that the mature audiences don’t bite any more. In case the sound and peaks become too modern they just adapt sound level of their hearing aids. It is perfect for all generations.

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Dancing School

Most of us know very little about what happens in a dancing school. This has intrigued artists for centuries. The Paris-based “Comédie francaise” has chosen the “L’école de danse” de Carlo Goldini as one of the pieces to enter its repertoire in 2025. Whereas modern dance celebrates the freedom of motion of humans, the early 18th century theatre piece by Goldini is a comedy in which the tyrannic ballet teacher attempts relentlessly to maximize profits based on the talents of the dancers either by placing them at a high reputation theaters or marrying them. Of course, each time a sizable commission has to be paid to the dealer of talents. Sounds familiar to what happens in other professions today, doesn’t it?
The borders between “dealing with love” and “dealing in love” become blurred in this comedy and Goldini shows his talent to play out intrigues on stage in an admirable way. It is a pleasure to experience the fun on stage with the manifold intrigues. (Image: actors of Comédie francaise in L’école de danse 2025-12).

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Bodies in motion

Since more than 2.000 years the art of movement and dance has fascinated people and artists. Early statues from Italy, which are exposed in the museum of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BNF, see image below) testify to this. This form of art has been practiced within Europe and much beyond Europe as well. The human body in motion needs specific preparations and training to reach the levels of artistic performance. Similar to other art forms the skills have to be experienced and learned before you start to play with movements as a form of freedom of expression. Dance is not only a form of expression and identification of groups or generations, but also a discipline of rigor and body care. The fascination of human bodies in motion rather than the ballet of robots or drones, catches our emotions. Even recent songs do not hesitate to make this the central topic of a chanson. (J’aime comment tu bouge, by Claude Bégin) 

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Freedom of art

Some depictions or statues of the 16th century quite expressive and average expressions of their time. An angel who is playing the lute in a rather extroverted way is amongst the remarkable artifacts we can discover in the Berlin Bode Museum. The Angel playing the lute is an oeuvre by Hans Brüggemann from 1520 in Husum. The angel certainly performed holy music with interesting postures, which resemble more rock stars of the 20th century or youth performing an act of “air guitar”. Artists always tested the limits of the freedom of art and expression. (Image from Brüggemann Angel playing the lute, Bode museum Berlin, 1520) 

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Surrealism Networks

The research project on the networks of artists in the group of surrealism ranges from the male proponents Breton, Ernst, Magritte, Miró to female painters like Lenora Carrington and Dorothea Tanning. The collection of Ulla und Heiner Pietzsch, donated to the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, excels not only in the depth and breadth of the collection of surrealism, but also in the way it contributes to our understanding of artistic movements and network dynamics. For those familiar with the theoretical and literary underpinnings of surrealism by André Breton, the collection allows to follow the traces of ideas into artworks. Interdependent inspiration in multiple ways becomes visible in this exceptional exhibition. The special concern and concept to honor provenance of the artworks makes the trajectories of each artwork explicit. Thereby, the geographic dimension, importance of collectors, galleries and personal relationships to gallerists become tangible. Additionally, the seizure of the 2WW heightened the need to have contacts to survive Nazi-terror. You find it all condensed into just one room at the Neue Nationalgalerie Berlin thanks also go to the Zentralarchiv to facilitate and participate in the research and documentation. (Image: Miró Collage, Berlin Neue Nationalgalerie 2025)