Traveling for art

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk

I had already planned my visit to the exhibition Fantastic Women at the Schirn in Frankfurt, Germany. And then SARS-CoV-2 hit Germany and the whole planet. Gone were my options to responsibly visit this exhibition of female artists in Surrealism. But everything bad also brings something good: as the exhibition travelled further on to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk I had a very good reason for a trip to Denmark.

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Danish minimalism

Copenhagen Contemporary, København

I’ve been disappointed by so many museums for contemporary art that my expectations are pretty low when visiting one of them – that protects me very well. The Copenhagen Contemporary or short CC is a nice one on the Refshaleøen peninsula in København. What you should know in advance is that they exhibit a very small number of artworks, but that those are often very large. The old industrial halls are perfect for giant items that can’t be shown in most museums.

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Glyptotek

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, København

A collection of sculptures doesn’t sound so inviting for you? Think twice! I would also visit the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in København if it would be completely empty – because already the fantastic staircases and the giant hall with palm trees in the centre of the building are simply amazing. Within you can find modern sculptures and antics from Greece and Rome and also some impressionist art – a wonderful combination.

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Jødisk Museum

Dansk Jødisk Museum, København

The Dansk Jødisk Museum of København is a place that makes you dizzy and irritates your senses because of its special architecture. The museum was designed by Daniel Libeskind in the same style as the Jewish museum in Berlin and was opened in 2014 – rather late. It is located within Slotsholmen, an ancient building in the city centre which is part of the royal library created by king Christian IV. in 1622.

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Around the world

Übersee-Museum, Bremen

Bremen, Germany, has a long tradition in seafaring and trading – therefore it is no surprise that you can find the Übersee-Museum (overseas museum) directly next to the main railway station. It dates back to the year 1875 and is an ethnologic, natural history and trading museum covering different territories and cultures overseas in Asia, Africa and the Americas. It uses multimedia technology and also presents daily life (like local nutrition) in the discussed geographical areas.

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Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund

Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund, Uder

When you’re exploring the area around Göttingen, Germany, you will soon find traces of the former inner-German border. South of the city – near Friedland – three occupation zones met: the American (including Kassel), the Russian (including Heiligenstadt) and the British (including Göttingen). When Germany was separated into the FDR and the GDR the border was therefore also close-by: only 18 km south of the city (between Friedland and Kirchgandern).

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Museum Friedland

Museum Friedland, Friedland

Friedland is a place that plays an important role in German history – a place in southern Lower Saxony that is deeply connected to migration. It all started after World War II when the Grenzdurchgangslager was opened and people from the lost former eastern parts of Germany as well as prisoners of war arrived here. They started their new lives in this place, were registered, provided with food and housed until they could travel onward. Still more than twenty years after the war people arrived from camps and prisons in the east. Even after that, the Grenzdurchgangslager remained open and welcomed Germans migrating back from Soviet Russia and asylum seekers.

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MdbK

Museum der bildenden Künste (MdbK), Leipzig

The Museum der bildenden Künste (or short MdbK) is an art museum at the city centre of Leipzig, Germany. It already dates back to the year 1848 but only in 2004 it could move into its current location: a large cube with 10,000 square metres of exhibition space between old houses. It is one of the largest art museums in Germany and has a lot of exhibitions per year: when I was there they had a funny social media exhibition in the cellar and a great exhibition of impressionists. But the MdbK isn’t a museum for contemporary art – it’s a continuous mix. Since its foundation, it collected pictures and statues and has a fine collection starting in the late medieval times.

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