Damaged by Allied bombs and pulled down by the Soviets after the war, the old Berlin Palace has over the past decade been meticulously reconstructed over the past decade to the tune of some €644m; originally set to open in 2019, the Humboldt Forum opens its doors to the public at last on 20 July. Italian architect Franco Stella has followed Andreas Schlüter’s 18th-century baroque design for the restoration of three of the facades, with a nod to modernity in the east wing’s concrete grid. Inside, the building provides a new home for the Prussian state’s vast collections of non-Western art, combining the inventories of the former Ethnologisches Museum and the Museum für Asiatische Kunst; the institution will also play host to temporary displays. Inaugural exhibitions include an exploration of the past, present and future of Berlin – ‘Berlin Global’ – and a display that looks at the controversial history of ivory as an artistic medium. Find out more from the Humboldt Forum’s website.
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The Humboldt Forum courtyard. Photo: Alexander Schippel
The Humboldt Forum atrium. Photo: Alexander Schippel
Elephant tusk with relief carving (19th century), Angola. Photo: Martin Franken; Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Ethnologisches Museum