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Friday, April 30th 2010
30 April - 9 August 2010. Mexican Frida Kahlo, arguably the world's most famous female artist of the first half of the 20th century, remains the greatest exponent of Latin American art. Her life was marked by colour but marred by tragedy; indeed her paintings contain both zest and pain. Linked to such influential men as Leon Trotsky and André Breton, she later married revolutionary artist Diego Rivera. This exhibition celebrates her distinctive blend of surrealism and realism by displaying 150 of her paintings and drawings. It also presents photographs belonging to her family and friends, and sheds light on a highly artistic individual who lived life to the full. Wed-Mon: 10.00-20.00. Closed Tuesday more
Heroes, Freaks and Super-Rabbi's: The Jewish Dimension of Comic Art
Friday, April 30th 2010
30 April - 8 August 2010. Jewish artists have been to the forefront of comic book art since the medium was first invented in the immigrant quarters of New York in the 1930s and 40s. This exhibition presents the work of 40 Jewish illustrators, scriptwriters and publishers of comics, and displays 400 objects of comic memorabilia. Some of the most famous comic characters were invented by Jewish cartoonists: Batman, Spiderman, Superman. Also in focus are the heroes and villains, including cartoon opponents of Hitler. Pooling collections from Paris and Amsterdam, the artists included in the show number veterans such as Rube Goldberg, Will Eisner and Harvey Kurtzman. Mon: 10.00-22.00. Tues-Sun: 10.00-20.00 more
Saturday, February 27th 2010
27 February - 13 June 2010. Pronounced 'key', this is a high-energy extravaganza of colour, haute-couture costumes, dance and music. The award-winning show takes place in the FriedrichstadtPalast, the largest theatre in the world. Described as 'the best show in town', Qi includes everything from ballet acts to acrobatics. Set against luxurious backdrops and featuring over 100 artists on stage, Qi is all-singing, all-dancing entertainment. See website for full programme: www.friedrichstadtpalast.de more
Wednesday, April 14th 2010
14 April - 21 April 2010. The sixth annual Achtung Berlin film festival, held at the Babylon Mitte and Neukölln Passage cinemas, is dedicated to screening films that are either filmed in Berlin or Brandenburg or which are otherwise associated. In addition to the two main locations, this year the popular cinematic event has found another venue in Filmtheater am Friedrichshain. Featuring 70 contemporary feature, documentary and short films (all with English subtitles) the screenings will be accompanied afterwards by audience discussions with the films' writers, producers and directors. more
Treasures of the Aga Khan Museum - Masterpieces of Islamic Art
Wednesday, March 17th 2010
17 March - 6 June 2010. Described as the world's largest and most valuable collection of Islamic art, the Aga Khan's art collection goes on display for the first time in Germany. Comprising over 200 paintings, manuscripts, ceramics, and wood carvings, the treasures belong to the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and were specifically selected to represent a thousand years of Islamic art and history. Karim Aga Khan IV is the spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslims and is regarded as a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed. From 2013 this collection will be permanently displayed in the new Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. Wed-Mon: 10.00-20.00 more
Wangechi Mutu at the Deutsche Guggenheim
Friday, April 30th 2010
30 April-13 June 2010. Work by Kenyan contemporary artist Wangechi Mutu, winner of the 2010 Artist of the Year award assigned by the Deutsche Bank Global Art Advisory Council for the first time this year. The exhibits on show include new work and installations created specifically for the Deutsche Guggenheim museum in Berlin. Born in Nairobi in 1972, Mutu is one of the most sought-after artists on the contemporary African scene. Her work, mostly collages and site-specific installations featuring images of mutilated female bodies, objects representing western consumer society and post-colonial history in Africa, has appeared at the Tate Modern in London, the Studium Museum in Harem and the Kunsthalle in Vienna. She currently lives and works in New York. After the Berlin show, Deutsche Bank will purchase a selection of Mutu’s work for its permanent collection, which will be displayed at the bank’s headquarters in Frankfurt when they reopen following modernisation later this year. more
Saturday, January 23rd 2010
23 January - 24 May 2010. The subject matter chosen by American artist Walton Ford is a disconcerting mix of meticulously painted animals and birds combined with surreal, disturbing themes. Described as 'Audubon on Viagra', Ford's latest collection of paintings and illustrations can now be witnessed for the first time in Germany, in his major new exhibition 'Bestiarium'. Although relatively young (Ford was born in New York in 1960) the artist enjoys increasing success, particularly in the United States; indeed his work is taken so seriously that art publishers Taschen released 'Pancha Tantra' in 2007, a luxury limited edition of his work. After this show the exhibition travels to the Albertina in Vienna. Tues - Fri: 10.00-18.00. Sat: 11.00 - 20.00. Sun: 11.00 - 18.00 more
Romy Schneider: Wien – Berlin – Paris
Wednesday, February 24th 2010
Until 30 May 2010. The exhibition documents the eventful career of actress Romy Schneider, who shot to fame with her portrayal of Elisabeth, Empress Consort of Austria, in the romantic biopic 'Sissi' and its two sequels. Schneider later became resentful of being known as 'Sissi', memorably claiming the name stuck to her 'like oatmeal'; however by the 1970s she was a celebrated star of French cinema. Including many previously unpublished photographs, the exhibition traces Schneider's turbulent career, from her meteoric rise to stardom to her final years as a broken woman, who died in tragic circumstances in 1982. Tues-Sun: 10.00-18.00 Thurs: 10.00-20.00 more
Thursday, February 11th 2010
11- 21 February 2010. The 60th edition of the Berlin festival opened with the showing of Apart Together by Wang Quan’an, the Chinese director already well known to Berlin audiences for winning the 2007 Golden Bear award with his film Tuya’s Marriage. The festival is one of the city’s most important cultural events and one the major international film festivals. About 400 films are shown each year in the various sections, with nearly 300,000 tickets sold. The main sections are the international films in Competition, the independent and art films in Panorama, films for the young in Generation, the best German films in Perspektive Deutsches Kino, experimental films in Forum, shorts in Berlinale Shorts and to round off, Retrospectives and Homage. An integral part of the festival is the European film trade fair. One of the most eagerly awaited events this year is the showing of the newly restored and now uncut classic Metropolis by Fritz Lang. About 30 minutes of it were cut from the original, and were thought lost until last year when a complete version was discovered in a private collection in Buenos Aires. The silent movie, which was premiered in Berlin 83 years ago, is the first film to be awarded World Heritage status by UNESCO. more
Displaying Power: Art as Strategy of Rule
Friday, February 19th 2010
19 February-13 June 2010. Throughout history, art has been associated with power. While today's millionaire anthropologists generously support the arts, some critics argue that their reasons for doing so are disingenuous - with their patronage comes prestige, and adulation from the intellectual elite. Many artworks have become a status symbol for society's 'stars', a trophy for the wealthy. In post-war Germany there was a strong desire to move away from the sinister past, and, in terms of art, to embrace that which was previously banned or burnt. Representatives of commerce and politics embraced the celebrity of art. This exhibition illustrates their story with paintings and photographs. 10.00-18.00 more