In the late sixties painter Karl Schmidt-Rottluff opened a museum on the fringes of the Grunewald dedicated to the Expressionist group of artists he named the “Brücke” at the beginning of the 20th century. Located not far from Krumme Lanke, the Brücke-Museum is a particularly idyllic getaway destination – and is currently showcasing an exhibition that should not be missed. Entitled “Escape into Art?”, the show asks questions about the role of the former “Brücke” artists during the Nazi era. In a shrewd and soberly fashion, the curators analyze the shady narrative of “inward emigration” in a time of tension between anti-Semitism and the ban on creative work, loyalty to the regime and artistic ostracism. The exhibition extends to the neighboring Kunsthaus Dahlem, the former studio of the Nazi sculptor Arno Breker – a place where the perception of the lingering Nazi past is unavoidable. The artist Sol Calero spans a bridge to the present in the shared garden of both institutions: in her “Casa Isadora” pavilion, which picks up on the woodcut aesthetics of the “Brücke”, visitors can let the complex questions raised by the exhibition slowly sink in. (Text: Laura Storfner / photos: Jürgen Pleuser & Nick Ash)
Brücke–Museum, Bussardsteig 9, 14195 Berlin–Dahlem; map
Wed–Mon 11–17h
Kunsthaus Dahlem, Käuzchensteig 8, 14195 Berlin–Dahlem; map
Wed–Mon 11–17h
“Sol Calero: Casa Isadora”, runs until 15.11.2019
“Escape into Art? The Brücke Painters in the Nazi Period”, runs until 11.08.2019
The Brücke–Museum’s Summer party is happening on 11.08.2019
@brueckemuseum
