Bode-Museum

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Bode-Museum

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Clarence Kennedy (1892-1972), Princess of Urbino, before 1928
Clarence Kennedy (1892-1972), Princess of Urbino, before 1928 Photo: Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst / Archiv; Public Domain Mark 1.0
Unknown photographer, Putto on a dolphin, 1967
Unknown photographer, Putto on a dolphin, 1967 Photo: Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst / Archiv; Public Domain Mark 1.0
A view of the exhibition ‘Photography Tells the Story of Sculpture’ at the Bode Museum, Museum Island, Berlin
A view of the exhibition ‘Photography Tells the Story of Sculpture’ at the Bode Museum, Museum Island, Berlin © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst / Charlen Christoph
A view of the exhibition ‘Photography Tells the Story of Sculpture’ at the Bode Museum, Museum Island, Berlin
A view of the exhibition ‘Photography Tells the Story of Sculpture’ at the Bode Museum, Museum Island, Berlin © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst / Charlen Christoph
A view of the exhibition ‘Photography Tells the Story of Sculpture’ at the Bode Museum, Museum Island, Berlin
A view of the exhibition ‘Photography Tells the Story of Sculpture’ at the Bode Museum, Museum Island, Berlin © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst / Charlen Christoph
A view of the exhibition ‘Photography Tells the Story of Sculpture’ at the Bode Museum, Museum Island, Berlin
A view of the exhibition ‘Photography Tells the Story of Sculpture’ at the Bode Museum, Museum Island, Berlin © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst / Charlen Christoph
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Photography Tells Sculpture

16.07.2026 to 04.10.2026
Bode-Museum

Today, we are more likely to encounter sculptures in photographs than in person. These images shape how we see, remember, and understand three-dimensional art. Photography Tells Sculpture explores this shift in perspective by placing sculptures and their photographic representations in direct conversation, inviting visitors to experience the act of seeing in a whole new way.

The exhibition features over sixty photographs from the late 19th century to the present, alongside seven carefully selected sculptures dating from the 11th to the 17th century. Organized into nine thematic chapters, it reveals how photographic techniques—such as lighting, framing, and perspective—stage and interpret sculptural forms.

By linking the Bode Museum’s sculpture collection with its previously little-known photographic archive, the exhibition offers fresh insights into both media. A richly illustrated catalogue accompanies the show, with contributions from Dr. Franziska Lampe (Photothek, Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte, Munich), Prof. Dr. Kathrin Müller (Institute for Art and Visual History, Humboldt University, Berlin), and other experts, providing in-depth perspectives from across the field of art history.

Mondayclosed
Tuesday10 am to 5 pm
Wednesday10 am to 5 pm
Thursday10 am to 5 pm
Friday10 am to 5 pm
Saturday10 am to 6 pm
Sunday10 am to 6 pm
Please note: From 1 July to 3 August 2026, Level 0, which houses the exhibitions Plain Talk and The Baptismal Font from Siena, will remain closed.

Visitor Entrance

Am Kupfergraben, Eingang über die Monbijoubrücke
10178 Berlin

U-Bahn: Friedrichstraße
S-Bahn: Friedrichstraße, Hackescher Markt
Tram: Am Kupfergraben, Hackescher Markt
Bus: Friedrichstraße, U Museumsinsel

partially wheelchair accessible

Tel 030 - 266 42 42 42 (Mon - Fri, 9 am - 4 pm)
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