An occasion such as the 40th anniversary of the Kunstgewerbemuseum (KGM, Museum of Decorative Art), which opened in 1985 in a new building designed by Rolf Gutbrod at the Kulturforum in West Berlin, is often an opportunity for celebratory review. The KGM, however, has chosen a different path, inviting the public to actively engage with the multilayered aspects not only of its history but above all with its future.

The exhibition Heimsuchung: 40 Jahre KGM am Kulturforum (A Home/Haunting: 40 Years of the KGM at the Kulturforum) sees itself as a kind of séance – a collective listening to the echoes of the past, the potential of the future, and as yet unwritten futures of the museum. Instead of a fixed narrative, it opens a space for complex questions that have defined this venue for four decades.

Visions and Ruptures

The Kunstgewerbemuseum’s history has been marked by visions and ruptures, not least through its former division between East and West Berlin, which resulted in the museum having two locations that still exist today – the Kulturforum in the western part of Berlin and Köpenick Palace in the east.

The exhibition traces the museum’s founding idea as an institution intended to serve the aesthetic education of craftspeople. The original impetus behind it was an educational institution with a collection of exemplary models, even though the conflicts inherent in such a concept were deeply rooted in the 19th century. Rather than presenting a definitive version of the museum’s history, aspects of the collection, methodology, and institutional past are intentionally displayed to bring the museum’s multilayered character to life.

What remains of this founding idea and how was it transferred into the 20th century? To answer this question, it is worth consulting the Kulturforum, which is not only home to various museums but also a place of diverse controversies and debates. It is testimony to a vision for the future whose current reality reflects the numerous compromises and unresolved questions in the history of the Kunstgewerbemuseum.

Beneath the Surface

The complex, almost 20-year construction history of today’s museum at the Kulturforum was accompanied by conflicts and opportunities stemming from new requirements for museums in general. These concerned conservation and structural engineering standards, but above all, the museum’s most important task and aspiration to be a democratic place of education.

The exhibition focuses in particular on these social and museological realities, for which Rolf Gutbrod found a pioneering and highly acclaimed solution by installing an educational gallery traversing the building. This anniversary presentation highlights the successes and failures of a constructed vision while also lifting the curtain to offer insights into the reality of what goes on in the KGM offices and restoration workshops.

The Future as an Open Question

The show looks ahead and perceives the future as an open process with considerable scope for creativity. In view of necessary upcoming changes, such as renovation, refurbishment and substantive renewal, the exhibition opens up the KGM’s future for discussion. It does not represent a final answer but rather an open question posed in the museum’s language – an invitation for the public to participate in the next chapter.

Team

Coordinators and co-curators: Ann-Kathrin Illmann, Carina Kitzenmaier, Dr Claudia Kanowski, Kevin (Finn) Strüder, Dr Sibylle Hoiman

Graphic design: Kevin (Finn) Strüder, Carina Kitzenmaier

A special exhibition of the Kunstgewerbemuseum – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin