Open until 9:00 PM on Tuesdays

Media Release We 15.02.2017

Gurlitt Exhibitions The Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn and the Kunstmuseum Bern will be simultaneously mounting the exhibitions «Dossier Gurlitt»

The Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bonn, the Bundeskunsthalle, and the Kunstmuseum Bern are currently collaborating in the organization of a simultaneous double exhibition. The two exhibitions will, for the very first time, be focusing on a selection of artworks from the Cornelius Gurlitt legacy.

Kunstmuseum Bern:
Gurlitt: Status Report.“Degenerate Art” – confiscated and sold
November 2, 2017, to March 4, 2018

Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn:
Gurlitt: Status Report. Nazi Art Theft and its Consequences
November 3, 2017, to March 11, 2018

Under the title of “Gurlitt: Status Report.”, the simultaneous exhibitions of both museums will be presenting to the general public Cornelius Gurlitt’s extensive collection of art, each examining the collection through a different thematic lens. Both shows will be embedded in a historical overall context based on the latest findings in research on “Gurlitt’s art trove” and seek to contribute further evidence for clarifying the provenances the works in those cases where this has not yet been done.

The content of the exhibitions at the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bonn and at the Kunstmuseum Bern is closely coordinated. In Bern the focus of the presentation lies in art that was considered "degenerate" and on works from the Gurlitt family circle. The Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany is concentrating on works of art that were withdrawn owing to Nazi persecution and on those for which the provenance has not yet been clarified. At the same time, the exhibition in Bonn addresses the fates of the persecuted artists, art collectors, and art dealers, juxtaposing their histories with the biographies of the Nazi perpetrators. Additionally the show hones in on the unprecedented theft of art of the Nazis in the occupied territories.

The project – the result of the close collaboration between both museums – will be documented in a mutual publication. The exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Bern will be curated by Nina Zimmer and Matthias Frehner with the support of Georg Kreis; the presentation at the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany by Rein Wolfs and Agnieszka Lulinska – with the support of established specialists.
A common advisory board will monitor both exhibitions: Esther Tisa Francini, Gilbert Lupfer, Uwe M. Schneede, Hermann Simon and Shlomit Steinberg.

The exhibition in Bonn will be subsequently on show at the Kunstmuseum Bern in the spring of 2018. A further stop is planned for the fall of 2018 at the Martin Gropius Building in Berlin. Other options for showing the exhibitions in further cities are currently being looked into.

Contact person:
Maria-Teresa Cano, Head of Communication and Press Relations Kunstmuseum Bern – Zentrum Paul Klee, , T +41 31 359 01 89

Contact Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn:
Sven Bergmann, Corporate Communications / Press Officer, , T +49 228 9171–204