Bröhan Museum

Description

In the Charlottenburg district of Berlin, the Bröhan-Museum – the Berlin State Museum for Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Functionalism – presents its principal collection areas in rooms of the palace complex that are embedded in their historical context.

Named after the collector Karl H. Bröhan, the collection is based on a long-standing private assemblage that the donor gave to the State of Berlin on his 60th birthday. The present exhibition rooms at Schloßstraße 1a, a barracks building originally constructed for a guards regiment, were taken into use in 1983; in 1994 the institution was granted the status of a state museum. The founder’s early porcelain collections also formed the core of the porcelain holdings of the Belvedere in Charlottenburg Palace Park.

The holdings concentrate on objects from the late 19th century up to the beginning of the Second World War. Central to the collection are international Art Nouveau, French-influenced Art Deco, Functionalism and works by the Berlin Secession. On display are furniture, porcelain, glass, ceramics, metalwork, light art and textiles, as well as works on paper, paintings and sculptures.

The Art Nouveau collection documents various national expressions – from the British Arts and Crafts movement, through French Art Nouveau, to the Vienna Secession – and includes significant ensembles of glass and porcelain. The Art Deco holdings are represented, among other things, by French furniture ensembles and metalwork; Functionalism links the transition to modern industrial design with pieces associated with the Deutscher Werkbund and projects such as „Neues Frankfurt“. The collection on the Berlin Secession makes it possible to trace developments from Impressionism and Symbolism to Expressionism.

The museum conducts provenance research in accordance with the Washington Principles to clarify the origins of its objects and, where necessary, to address losses resulting from persecution. Scholarly catalogues and inventories document the museum’s collection work and complement its exhibition programme.