09.05.2016
Kunstbibliothek
Curt Glaser (1879–1943) was an important German-Jewish scholar, whose career at the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin was abruptly cut short when the Nazis came to power in 1933. His forced retirement and emigration in that year marked a radical rupture in his life, and later prevented Glaser receiving the place he deserved in the history of these institutions, which are so much in his debt.
As first curator of modern art, Curt Glaser made a significant contribution to the development of the “new department" of the Kupferstichkabinett. From 1924, as director of the Staatliche Kunstbibliothek – a precursor of today's Kunstbibliothek – he gave the library a new profile, helping to shape the institution during the 1920s, one of the highpoints of its history. The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin remembers Professor Curt Glaser with the utmost respect, recognizing him as one of its most significant directors and scholars.
To accompany the unveiling, the Kunstbibliothek and the Kupferstichkabinett of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin will stage an exhibition about Curt Glaser, displayed in the foyer of the Kulturforum. It will run until until 5 June 2016. The exhibition's four sections will cover Professor Glaser's life, his activities as a writer and collector, his career as a museum scholar and his time as director of the Kunstbibliothek.