At first, I was disappointed to find out that the Bauhaus Archives were closed for renovation until October 2009.   How could I, an interior designer, not go to see the ultimate Bauhaus exhibit in its birthplace?  I was relieved to find out, however, that they moved a large part of it to the Martin-Gropius-Bau Museum (appropriate because Martin Gropius was the great uncle of one of the pioneering masters of Bauhaus, Walter Gropius).

Bauhaus was all about bringing art to the masses by finding utility in architecture and craft.  It was about breaking down a piece to its essential components, finding what elements were necessary for function.  One school of thought stressed mass production of these “simplified” home furnishings, making them available to all people, not just the elite.  Even in the early part of the 20th century, they recognized that everyone should have a beautiful home!

On our hunt for the smaller, more contemporary art exhibits, we went to the Hamburger Bahnhof, a “museum of the present day”.  It is housed in an old train station like the d’Orsay in Paris, but not anywhere near as grand!  It shows modern paintings, installations and multi-media art from artists like Andy Warhol, Cy Twombly, Robert Rauschenberg, Anselm Kiefer and Joseph Beuys.  I have no photos, alas!

These two exhibits are, in many ways, in stark contrast to each other–the Bauhaus and the Hamburger Banhof.  In my opinion, they illustrate the juxtaposition that is so much of Berlin.  Bauhaus found utility in art and strived to make art a part of everyday life through industry, while pop art deconstructed objects and images to create art.  Despite the differences, art is one of the greatest experiences in life and Berlin did not disappoint!

To expand our experience in the arts even further, we chose a classical Baroque concert at the Great Orangery of Charlottenburg Palace.  It was beautifully performed by candlelight to fully capture the effect…and even the musicians were in full costume!

We were transported to the courtly days of the Prussian kings, with every detail of the performance taken from the Baroque period, even down to the smallest movements of the singers and musicians.  We listened to works by Mozart, Handel, Bach and even Luigi Boccherini.  It was a fabulous experience to round out our Berlin visit!

Next stop, Prague!  I’ll check in soon with more updates and photos.  Have a fantastic weekend!