The Bode-Museum (Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst) and the Gemäldegalerie of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin have recently formed an interdisciplinary partnership with the Visual Commentary on Scripture (theVCS.org) at King’s College London. Together, these institutions have devised innovative ways of exploring the rich collections of Christian art in Berlin by combining the perspectives of art history and theology and by opening conversations with Islamic and Jewish traditions of thought. The first products of this ongoing partnership are presented in the form of short films: a series entitled ‘Unlocking Christian Art’ and another focused on ‘Interfaith Discussions’ which together take on the challenge of creating accessible and engaging interpretation of these collections for 21st century audiences.

The first series, Unlocking Christian Art, is comprised of two self-guided tours through the permanent collections of the Bode-Museum and the Gemäldegalerie which follow the lives of the two main protagonists of the Christian faith: Jesus Christ and his mother Mary.

The two films in the second series, Interfaith Discussions, each take a single artwork from the collection of the Bode-Museum as a starting point for a conversation between members of the three main Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam).

The discussions are held in English and include fully translated subtitles in both German and Turkish for greater accessibility.