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| Berlin Ethnologisches Museum | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin |
| Native name | Ethnologisches Museum |
| Established | 1873 |
| Location | Berlin, Germany |
| Type | Ethnographic museum |
| Collection size | ~500,000 objects |
| Director | [name not linked] |
Berlin Ethnologisches Museum
The Ethnologisches Museum in Berlin is a major ethnographic institution within the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin complex, notable for its extensive collections of material culture from Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Americas and Europe. Founded in the 19th century, the museum's history intersects with figures and events such as the Deutsches Reich, the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany, and the Cold War. Its collections and exhibitions engage with provenance issues linked to episodes including the Scramble for Africa, the German colonial empire, and transnational exchanges involving institutions such as the British Museum, the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, and the Smithsonian Institution.
The institution traces roots to the collections of the Prussian Academy of Sciences, the Museum für Völkerkunde, and imperial expeditions sponsored under rulers like Wilhelm II. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries the museum acquired objects through colonial administrations associated with the German South-West Africa and German East Africa protectorates, alongside purchases from explorers such as Carl Peters and collectors connected to the German Colonial Society. In the interwar years the museum interacted with networks including the Royal Anthropological Institute and the International African Institute. World War II and the Bombing of Berlin in World War II fragmented holdings, prompting postwar divisions across sectors influenced by the Soviet occupation of Germany and the Berlin Blockade. Reunification of collections accelerated after the German reunification process, integrating material transferred between institutions like the Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig and international partners such as the Rijksmuseum and the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac.
The museum's holdings comprise approximately half a million artifacts encompassing objects from West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia, Amazon Basin, Andes, North America, and diverse European ethnographic assemblages. Highlights include assemblages of Benin Bronzes connected to the Benin Empire, textile and ritual objects from societies such as the Asante people, Yoruba people, and Igbo people, Oceanic sculptures from the Māori people, Samoan culture, and Papua New Guinea groups, as well as pre-Columbian artifacts from the Moche, Inca Empire, and Aztec civilization. Collections also feature musical instruments linked to figures and traditions like Dmitri Shostakovich (through exhibition loans), ceremonial regalia associated with the Zulu Kingdom, and photographic archives documenting expeditions by collectors including Heinrich Schliemann-era contemporaries. The museum maintains comprehensive archives of field notes, maps tied to explorers such as Alexander von Humboldt, and ethnographic films produced in collaboration with institutions like the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science.
Exhibition and storage spaces are distributed among historic structures and modern facilities, including the former Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum complexes and purpose-built storage in Berlin districts formerly divided by the Berlin Wall. The institution's architecture reflects interventions by planners influenced by postwar reconstruction trends exemplified by projects in West Berlin and East Berlin, as well as recent designs by international architectural practices engaged with museum masterplans similar to those at the Louvre and Tate Modern. Conservation laboratories, object storage vaults, and public galleries meet standards referenced by bodies such as the International Council of Museums and the ICOMOS charters.
Research programs collaborate with universities and institutes including the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, the Freie Universität Berlin, the Max Planck Society, and the Leiden University ethnology departments. Conservation efforts employ methods developed with partners like the Getty Conservation Institute and the German Archaeological Institute, addressing material-specific challenges for wood, textiles, metalwork, and organic substances. The museum participates in digitization initiatives linked to projects such as the Europeana network and cross-institutional provenance research consortia involving the British Museum and the Royal Museum for Central Africa.
Temporary and permanent exhibitions have featured thematic collaborations with curators from institutions including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Royal Ontario Museum, and the National Museum of Anthropology (Mexico). Public programs include lectures with scholars from the School of Oriental and African Studies, workshops with community representatives from diaspora groups such as the Nigerian diaspora in Germany and Samoan diaspora, and educational partnerships with organizations like the German UNESCO Commission. Touring exhibitions have toured to venues like the Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac.
The museum has been central to restitution debates surrounding objects acquired during colonial campaigns, notably the Benin Expedition of 1897 and artifacts from German South-West Africa linked to atrocities including the Herero and Namaqua genocide. Claimant parties have involved nation-states such as Nigeria and Namibia, and institutions such as the Federal Government of Germany have negotiated frameworks resembling agreements with the Netherlands and France for restitutions. International jurisprudence and advisory bodies including the UNESCO conventions and committees of the German Lost Art Foundation have informed provenance research, repatriation protocols, and contested claims addressed in public inquiries and parliamentary debates in the Bundestag.
Governance falls under the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin umbrella, with oversight linked to cultural ministries like the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and municipal authorities of the City of Berlin. Funding sources include public appropriations from the Federal Government of Germany, project grants from the European Union, philanthropic support from foundations such as the Kulturstiftung der Länder, and partnerships with international donors including the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Advisory boards incorporate representatives from academic partners including the Humboldt Forum networks, and policy decisions are influenced by frameworks paralleling those applied at the Pergamon Museum and other major European national museums.
Category:Museums in Berlin Category:Ethnographic museums