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Bode Museum

Bezirk Mitte, Germany

Bode Museum
Bode Museum

Image: Wikimedia Commons.

Bode Museum is an art museum in Bezirk Mitte, Germany. 54 works from its collection are in this catalog, including Caravaggio and Rembrandt van Rijn.

About Bode Museum

The Bode Museum (German: Bode-Museum), formerly called the Emperor Frederick Museum (German: Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum), is a listed building on the Museum Island in the historic centre of Berlin. It was built from 1898 to 1904 by order of German Emperor William II according to plans by Ernst von Ihne in Baroque Revival style. The building's front square featured a memorial to German Emperor Frederick III, which was destroyed by the East German authorities. Currently, the Bode-Museum is home to the Skulpturensammlung, the Museum für Byzantinische Kunst and the Münzkabinett (sculpture, Byzantine art, and coins and medals).

Overview & Identity

The Bode Museum, located on the Museum Island in the historic center of Berlin, is a listed building and a UNESCO World Heritage site inscribed in 1999. Originally named the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum (Emperor Frederick Museum) upon its opening in 1904, it was renamed in 1956 in honor of its first curator, Wilhelm von Bode. The museum currently houses three major collections: the Sculpture Collection (Skulpturensammlung), the Museum of Byzantine Art (Museum für Byzantinische Kunst), and the Numismatic Collection (Münzkabinett).

It stands as a testament to the development of museums as cultural phenomena in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

History & Founding

Constructed between 1898 and 1904 by order of German Emperor William II, the museum was designed by architect Ernst Eberhard von Ihne. It was initially dedicated to Emperor Frederick III. The museum suffered significant damage during World War II; fires in May 1945 destroyed portions of the collection stored in the Flakturm Friedrichshain, resulting in the loss of over 400 paintings and 300 sculptures.

Following the war, the building was used for various exhibitions during the GDR era. It closed for a major refurbishment in 1997 and was reopened on October 18, 2006, after a €156 million renovation project.

Building & Architecture

Designed in the Baroque Revival style, the palace-like edifice sits on the triangular northern tip of Museum Island, rising above the Spree River. The building features two cupolas, both of which sustained heavy damage during World War II and were restored. The interior exhibition rooms are lavishly decorated, inspired by Italian Renaissance and Baroque styles.

The renovation by architects Heinz Tesar and Atelier Christoph Fischer included the restoration of historical monument elements, the creation of new exhibition rooms in the semi-basement, and the lowering of the Small Cupola Hall to connect it with the Archaeological Promenade.

Collection Highlights & Notable Holdings

The museum's Sculpture Collection spans from the Christian Orient and Byzantium to the 18th century, featuring works by Tilman Riemenschneider, Donatello (including the 'Pazzi Madonna'), and Baccio Bandinelli. The Museum of Byzantine Art holds significant items such as the 6th-century apse mosaic from San Michele in Africisco and 12th-century mosaic icons. The Münzkabinett is one of the world's largest numismatic collections, containing approximately 500,000 items ranging from the 7th century BC to the present, including the famous 'Big Maple Leaf' gold coin which was the subject of a high-profile theft.

Significance & Legacy

The Bode Museum is significant for its pioneering curatorial approach championed by Wilhelm von Bode, who believed in mixing art collections rather than separating them by genre. This concept of 'style rooms' allowed sculptures, paintings, and crafts to be viewed together, reflecting upper-middle-class private collections of the era. Upon its 2006 reopening, Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, described it as offering the most comprehensive display of European sculpture anywhere, enabling Europe to read its history in three-dimensional form. The museum remains a central pillar of the Museum Island complex.

What to see at Bode Museum

Start with Landscape with Cows and Wildfowlers by Peter Paul Rubens.

See all highlights at Bode Museum →

Bode Museum by the numbers

Founded
1904
Visitors / year
233,000

Works from Bode Museum

All 54 works →

Plan your visit

Bode Museum

Website
www.smb.museum
Part of
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
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Artworks shown from Bode Museum are in the public domain; images via the open-access programs of their source collections. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.