Sculpture collection - documentation of losses
Press release from 07/31/2007
Since the reunification of the Berlin collections under the umbrella of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, recovered relocation documents have been analysed. This has made it possible to systematically record and document the losses from the period of the Second World War and the occupation of Germany. Separate publications on the individual collections are gradually being produced. The latest, which relates to the sculpture collection, is being presented today.
The sculpture collection is one of the largest collections of older sculpture in Germany. It contains sculptures from the early Middle Ages to the end of the 18th century from German-speaking countries, France, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain. After decades of division, the collection, which originated from the Brandenburg-Prussian Kunstkammer, was reunited at its original location in the Bode Museum (formerly the Kaiser Friedrich Museum) and presented to an enthusiastic public when the museum reopened in October 2006.
However, the scope and quality of what is presented in this volume of losses would in itself constitute one of the most important sculpture collections in Europe. It includes famous Italian works from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, such as sculptures by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano as well as works by Donatello and Andrea del Verocchio. The catalogue lists 1611 objects, 1496 of which are considered completely lost and 115 of which are only fragments. This may illustrate how heavy the losses are for this historically grown collection, which was built up according to scientific and aesthetic principles. The aim of this publication is to obtain certainty as to where and in what condition these great works of art history are currently kept. Many things point to Russia.
Note: The publications documenting the losses of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin can be ordered via the online shop. So far they are available for: Gemäldegalerie, Nationalgalerie, Museum für Indische Kunst, Antikensammlung, Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte, Skulpturensammlung.