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Discover Art and Design in Berlin on an Educational Tour

Visiting Berlin on an educational tour is an unforgettable experience, and the art exhibited in the city's museums is diverse and expansive. Whether your interest is in art or design you will find plenty to interest you in this wonderful city. Everything is there to be seen from the classics to the contemporary.

Modern Art

If your educational tour has a focus on modern art, one museum that will definitely be on your itinerary is the majestic white Hamburger Bahnhof, on Invalidenstrasse. It was built as a train station in 1847 and is now a light-filled space perfectly suited to exhibit great works of art. It houses everything from work by the German performance artist Joseph Beuys to Lichtenstein and Warhol. Warhol's Mao is on permanent exhibition here.

Classic Treasures

Museum Island is the site of five of Berlin's greatest museums: The Bode, The Old National Gallery, The Altes, The Neues and The Pergamon. Around 70% of the buildings on the island were destroyed during World War II, but after a massive reconstruction and modernisation programme at the end of the 20th century, all five museums have now been restored. Today, art and design students on an educational tour of Berlin will find these five museums hold many wonderful collections.

The Bode Museum is home to a collection of Byzantium art dating from the 3rd to the 15th centuries. It also holds the extensive sculpture collection that was owned by the Prussian Royal Family, and includes many examples of Italian and German sculptures including Antonio Canova's beautiful Dancer.

The Old National Gallery exhibits a large collection of 19th century paintings and sculpture and contains work by many of Germany's greatest painters along with a number of French Impressionist works. Many works by Berlin's own Albert van Menzel are exhibited in this neo-Classical building.

The Altes Museum looks like a Greek Corinthian Temple, and within it you will find Greek and Roman artefacts. Whereas in The Neues you will find prehistoric, early history and Egyptian works of art, including a bust of Queen Nefertiti.

Finally The Pergamon, which is said to be the most visited museum in Berlin, houses a collection of Egyptian and Babylonian antiquities, which include the Ishtar Gate of Babylon and the Pergamon Altar after which the museum is named.

Classic Design

The Bröhan Museum will attract anyone with an interest in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods. The exhibits here include fine examples of everything from porcelain, glass and furniture through to paintings by the Berlin Secessionist painters. There is also a room dedicated to works by the Art Nouveau artist Henry van de Velde. Designers exhibited include Emile Ruhlman and Peter Behrens. Exhibits give an authentic representation of living spaces during the Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Functionalism periods.

Berlin is a city where art and design can be viewed in all their forms and is sure to be a journey of discovery for students of design on an educational tour. Everything is there from the pre-historic right through to contemporary art.