The Dresden State Art Collections are presenting a few select sections from the major exhibition ‘Germany: Memories of a Nation’ that went on show at the British Museum from October 2014 to January this year. The display in the Residenzschloss has been timed to coincide with the release of the German edition of the book accompanying the British Museum’s exhibition, written by Neil MacGregor. The Dresden State Art Collections pay tribute to Neil MacGregor’s extraordinary contribution as a cultural intermediary between the United Kingdom, Germany, Europe, and the world, in particular in his most recent post as director of the British Museum and his new role as head of the advisory board for the future Humboldt-Forum in Berlin.
The six chapters selected from the book chart key developments in the modern period of the German lands and later Germany, starting with the invention of the printing press and the concomitant broadened access to knowledge. Albrecht Dürer’s prints lead viewers on a journey that starts in the Renaissance and ends in the 20th century with the Bauhaus.
At the heart of the exhibition stands Gerhard Richter’s portrait of his daughter Betty. In it she is seen looking back over her shoulder, towards the past. But her posture suggests that any second now she will turn round again to face the viewer − and the future. The core theme of this small exhibition is German history and how Germans deal with it. Käthe Kollwitz’s Pietà and the gate from Buchenwald concentration camp remind viewers of the period of human failing and unimaginable cruelty and violence, loss and grief.
A listening post provides visitors with the opportunity to hear the original programmes on each of the chapters, produced for radio by the BBC.
