The Association of German Art Historians has written an even stronger petition against the planned “irresponsible” move of Berlin’s Old Master painting collections out of the Gemaeldegalerie and into the Bode Museum, partly, plus much more into storage than the one I’ve written about before. Here’s one paragraph from it:
To put it bluntly: Bode’s vision of showing painting and sculpture together cannot be used to gloss over the disappearance into storage of large parts of the Gemäldegalerie collection of Old Master paintings. We also consider the token solution proposed in official statements, namely to stage rotating presentations of the works that the Bode Museum is far too small to house, as irresponsible on conservation grounds. Would such a solution be conceivable in the newly redesigned Louvre? What would Bode have said about it?!
So far, 4,154 German art historians have signed on. The link above includes an English translation. Meanwhile, the petition launched here in the U.S. has 6,363 signatures. But Jeffrey Hamburger, the Harvard art historian who created it, today wrotes to supporters:
At the rate of ca. 850/day, we have done quite well. We need, however, to do more. Just think: if each of you recruited one additional person to sign, we’d have close to 12,000. Two more, close to 20,000. With a little effort, we can greatly magnify the impact of our common cause. Now is not the time to sit back, but rather to redouble our efforts.
Authorities in Berlin have taken notice of the petitions, but apparently claim that no one goes to see the Old Master paintings. Nonetheless, they are being forced to respond and, as someone put it recently, their thoughts are “evolving.”
Sign here.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Gemaeldegalerie