29.09.2017
Museumsinsel Berlin
Beginning in 2018, the Museumsinsel will expand to include the gallery building at Am Kupfergraben no. 10. The Bastian family has signed the deed of gift.
The building will be used in the future as a centre for cultural education under the name ‘Haus Bastian der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin – Preussischer Kulturbesitz’. In a demonstration of resoluteness, the Bastian family has already had the deed notarized. Hermann Parzinger, president of the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz (SPK), and the German Minister of Culture, Monika Grütters, chair of the SPK’s Trustees, have expressed their great indebtedness to the Bastian family for their generous gift.
The building is located directly across from the James-Simon-Galerie, which is currently being developed as the new entrance building to the Museumsinsel. Both buildings were designed by David Chipperfield. The spacious and pared-down architecture of Haus Bastian is on a par with the UNESCO World Heritage Site that is the Museumsinsel, and also expands it functionally. Innovative educational approaches will be developed and implemented on all four of its floors, addressing a diverse audience and incorporating relevant social issues.
Here, museum visitors will not only be able to prepare for and reflect upon their visit to a particular collection. They will also discuss themes that will encourage them to draw connections between the different collections and buildings. The Humboldt Forum will also be involved, forming a thematic entity with the Museumsinsel in the future. The range of activities planned includes themed and open workshops, study and project days, lectures, discussion groups, and much more. There will be spacious working areas as well as rooms for researching and studying, communicating and discussing, and presenting and reflecting on new experiences. The Department of Education / Communication at the Staatliche Museen is responsible for developing the centre.
The building, designed by David Chipperfield, has a total floor area of around 2,000 metres. It was commissioned by the Bastian family and has been used as a gallery since 2007.