Alexander Pollard

13568290
Altes Museum: An architecturally
ARCH11-114
assisted educational experience
July 2019
Instructor:

Marja Sarvimaki

Introduction The Altes Museum (German for old museum), was built between 1823 and 1830 and designed by Karl
Friedrich Schinkel and considered one of the first and most prominent examples of neoclassical
architecture, featuring references throughout to the Greco-Roman style. Schinkel pursued Humboldt’s
conception of the museum as an educational institution for the public and is one of the first museums to
share this thought typology. Located in Berlin, Germany, it was the beginning of a complex of structures
forming the famous ‘Museum Island’.

Schinkel Born in 1781, Karl Friedrich Schinkel was the most famous and
influential German neoclassical architect of the 1800s. Initially starting
his career as a painter and a set designer, his work became renowned and
received an invitation to an important architectural post in Berlin,
allowing him to focus more on architecture. He spent most of his career
working between Germany and Italy (Baran, 2011). Designing mostly
neo-classic or neo-gothic buildings, his most famous works include the
Neue Wache, being his first significant commission, Friedrichswerdersche
Kirche and the Schauspeilhaus. Portrait of Karl
Friedrich Schinkel

Concept Prior to any thought of such museum, a revolution in the understanding www.findagrave.com/
of art was occurring during the 19th century in not only visual arts but memorial/6617074/karl-
friedrich-schinkel
music and literature as well. Formed on a new concept of public aesthetic
experience, the museum pushed forward the idea of displaying art for
public education. A public museum’s role was pivotal in transforming Prussia and the city
of Berlin to a new modern phase. Art museums had previously been small collections

 shared by the wealthy; it was antiquarian Alois Hirt, who portrayed the idea of a gallery
open to the public (Moyano, 1990). Altes Museum was not the first to
share this concept; however, with establishments such as the British
Museum opening to the public in 1759. Alexander von Humboldt was
also a pivotal figure in the reformation of the Prussian state. An
academic who also pushed forward this new open museum concept.
An exhibition loaned from the French and visits to London, Paris, and
Vienna convinced the king to approve the building in 1816 (Baran,
2011).

The Prussian state began to realise the potential for an open and
Render of Altes Museum
educational museum as of Karl Friedrich Schinkel's design for the Altes Museum. Further
and the surrounding
context of museum island helped by Schinkel's persuasive rhetoric, support from the state chancellor and high
officials, and the fact that Schinkel was to a state official, reviewing building projects
https://www.museumsinsel-
berlin.de/en/home/ financed by the Prussian state. Altes museum was planned alongside the plans also
incorporated numerous structures surrounding Berliner Lustgarten (the garden out front
of the museum, also referred to as the pleasure garden). This included a palace, cathedral,
military showcase, and ‘educational garden’. These symbolised worldly power, divine
authority, military might and science respectively with art, being the Altes Museum, right at
the centre.
Neoclassicism
Schinkel’s artistic imagination was unleashed for the design of the Altes Museum, an
entirely new take on architectural form for such an institution. One of the first and most
important examples of neoclassical architecture. This neoclassic style being an artistic style
reminiscing aesthetic properties of ancient Greece and Rome, after the rediscovery of
these cities left in the past. The style also expands into formats such as painting, sculpture,
and music. In architecture, it can be simplified as being derived from classical antiquity, the
Page 1
 Vitruvian principles, and work of architect “…the site required a very
Andrea Palladio. Neoclassicism emerged in the
monumental building. Therefore
18th and 19th centuries, and served as a
reaction the popular Rococo and Baroque I preferred one giant order rather
styles. Schinkel quotes the idea that in order to than two individual expressions
avoid sterility and have a soul, a building must for the two main stories….The
contain elements of the poetic and the past, building surrounded on all sides
and have a discourse with them (Baran, 2011). by the Ionic entablature or the
The materiality is mostly granite and Ionic columnar hall, with Ionic
sandstone, with marble floors to provide an pilasters at the four corners,
opulent feel to the building, with materials forms a simple yet grand main
sourced from around Germany (Maierhofer, structure into which the two
2005). floors are inserted in a
subordinate manner.”
Form The location of the museum played a part to
- Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Schinkel’s design freedom, and the building
was most evidently a response to its (Karl Friedrich Schinkel From
surroundings, with a full-length open facade Michael Snodin, ed. Karl Friedrich
facing the pleasure garden (Gaehtgens, 2012). Schinkel: A Universal Man. p1, 34.)
This colonnade facade, formed out of locally
sourced granite, resembles a Greek Stoa, with Latin writing inscribed above, reading: ‘This
museum was established by Friedrich Wilhelm III for the study of all kinds of antiquities
and of the liberal arts, 1828’ (Gaehtgens, 2012). A notable component of the design is the
architect's decision to open the entrance to the museum
behind the colonnade with a double staircase leading
visitors to the second level. The colonnade hides this
component to conceal the wall behind and deny any
clues to the fact it is a two-story building. This staircase
and space behind the colonnade serve as a social
gathering space, for visitors to discuss their discoveries
and thoughts from the museum. The second level also
provides a fantastic area to view out of the museum over
the pleasure garden and surrounding buildings.

Entering further, you enter into a large rotunda, (circular

Sectional diagram of hall with a dome) that is very much reminiscent of the pantheon’s, even including the
the Altes Museum
ceiling pattern and oculus (though covered) found in it. A set of Romanesque sculptures
Alexander Pollard, 2019 and marble corinthian columns surround this rotunda, serving additionally as a beautifully
lit centrepiece for social interaction and to display the sculptures. A singular axial symmetry
runs through the building, starting from the colonnade and running through the entrance,
colonnade and exiting out of the back. The two courtyards flanking the rotunda provide
better lighting conditions to display the work, Schinkel notes, they can get “the most
advantageous light from the adjacent twelve large windows” (Baran, 2011). They are also
accessible for visitors to enjoy, with three rooms on the northern side designed as
workshops for replicating
sculptures.

The ground floor features a

forest of columns which add
‘rythym’ to the long, open
galleries, despite being criticised
for this, for not allowing the
spaces to be open, Schinkel
insisted that they were not only
crucial for the structure, but that
having statues near the columns
would look most beautiful. The
second floor instead has small Floor plan of the Altes Museum,
showing axial symmetry
Page 2 partition walls that separate the gallery to provide small nooks
for displaying art. Schinkel’s thought behind this was to make it Alexander Pollard, 2019
 easy to segment different schools of painting,
were comparisons could then be made between
the paintings between one such particular
school. One of the biggest criticisms of the
design was the absence of natural light due to
Schinkel’s disinterest in adding skylights from
above, and preferred lighting from the sides.
However, this means that the paintings become
darker relative to their proximity to the windows. By 1861, ideas Model of the Altes Museum,
displaying exterior and section
were already being brought forward to alter the gallery space so
light could enter from above (Gaehtgens, 2012). Alexander Pollard, 2019

Collection The organisation of the collection was highly debated throughout the planning process.
From a report submitted to the king by Alexander von Humboldt, along with the
committee which included Schinkel, they defined their mission as “first to delight, then to
instruct” (Paul, 2005). To achieve this, exhibits had to be relative to one another in terms
of era and artistic movements so that the visitors could make connections between
them. The works inside the gallery are divided into three levels of defending hierarchy.
The first level is split into two halls, with one side housing Egyptian artefacts, and the
other displaying small Greco-roman artefacts, being vases, bronzes, and pottery.
Though initially intended to exhibit only high brow art, it was decided to house a
collection of classical Greco-roman antiquities in 1904, which is the type of art it
displays to date. The selection was slightly adjusted in 1854 but continues to draw in
Apulian red-figure
amphora
the crowds for its collection to this day. (Gaehtgens, 2012) The museum houses a
variety of antiques ranging in style, scale, and era. Works inside the museum include
Daruis Painter, 430BC Apulian red-figure amphora, Centaur mosaic from the Villa Hadriana and Offering
bearer, from 530 BCE.

Future The Altes Museum is to be updated as stated in the Museum Island master plan, set to
complete in 2025, aiming to better connect the five museums on the island and modernise
the area. An underground promenade shall link the museums, running from the Altes
Museum to the Bode Museum to the north. A new courtyard and other spaces to invite
human interaction aim to create a better museum experience, housing a social space for
visitors to discuss their findings, very much like Schinkel had designed with the area behind
the colonnade and the rotunda in the Altes museum. Just behind the Altes Museum is the
newly constructed James-Simon-Gallerie designed by David Chipperfield architects, after
the success of the renovation of the Neues Museum, six decades after its bombing in
WW2. The influence and respect of the
neoclassical surroundings are evident in
materiality, scale, and modern interpretation
of the colonnade, resulting in a fantastic
contemporary addition to museum island.

Relevancy There are a multitude of lessons to be learned

from the Altes Museum for our modern
world. The concept of a public museum is

now the standard, with most cities in the
world housing a museum of the same James-Simon Gallerie, David
typology. But now, in a world where we have easier and faster access Chipperfield Architects
to information than ever before, the experience of visiting a https://davidchipperfield.com/
museum and fascination with the works displayed has the risk of project/james_simon_galerie
being lost. In a time where education has shifted towards more
recent innovations, such as coding, history such as on display in the Altes Museum, has to
appeal more to a new audience. The Altes Museum achieved this by capturing a desire of
the people and creating one that drew visitors out of curiosity and a yearning for further
education. Schinkel’s intentional design strategies to create social places within the museum
is an excellent precedent for such a space. These act as an educational catalyst for people to
share their thoughts and knowledge on what they have seen and experienced both in the
museum and out. These conversations are provoked by the ordering and layout of the
Page 3 collection with the committee's intention to order in such a way where comparisons are
 made easier by grouping revenant pieces together. The architecture
alone plays a vital role in the education of the visitors, through
conceptually and socially compelling, yet architecturally simple
spaces.

The neoclassical style complements the collection inside, and they

work in tandem to portray the tellings of Greco-roman culture.
This style and the references found help transport the visitor back
in time to for an immersive experience, and take them to a place
unlike the surrounding city of Berlin. Though there is a debate in
the scene of architecture about the recreation of buildings, sparked
recently by ‘copycat’ designs in china, including recreations of Paris,
Tower Bridge, and Sydney opera house, with slight tweaks to make
them work in such contrasting culture. There is a return argument
in that it gives the visitors to these places an architectural experience
that would otherwise be unattainable. This is found in Altes
Museum with the rotunda, being a recreation of the Pantheon in
Rome, and the colonnade reminiscent Greek Stoa. Though if the Inside the Rotunda
architects of the pantheon were ever to see their work imitated, they
http://archeyes.com/altes-
may be frustrated, and rightly so, it is using their design for the museum-karl-friedrich-
education and inspiration for the thousands of visitors to the Altes schinkel/
Museum. It would not be wrong to say that architectural recreations
for educational purposes is ethical, but never for profit solely.

Conclusion The architecture of the Altes museum plays a vital role in enhancing the educational
experience in the museum and should be used as a precedent for a successful museum
architecture in the future. The James-Simon Gallerie, as mentioned earlier, does an excellent
job of this as a modern interpretation. The way the museum island master plan focuses
closer on a more social and interactive museum experience is inspired by if not the design
alone, then the experience of the Altes Museum. The best galleries are arguably where the
collection alone does the work of portraying the pieces, not the architecture. The Altes
Museum perfects this balance with subliminal experiences that complement the collection
inside to enhance the visitor experience. The success of the museum is down to the
harmony between architecture and the collection inside and is certainly something to be
considered for future designs.

Illustration of the Altes

Museum, pencil on paper

Page 4 Alexander Pollard, 2019

 “Our mind is not free if it is not the master of its
imagination; the freedom of the mind is manifest
in every victory over self, every resistance to
external enticements, every elimination of an
obstacle to this goal. Every moment of freedom is
blessed” -
Karl Friedrich Schinkel

(Karl Friedrich Schinkel From Michael Snodin, ed. Karl

Friedrich Schinkel: A Universal Man. p1, 34.)

References

Baran, 2011
Baran, M. (2011). Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s Architectural Journey to Italy. Thesis submitted to
University of Middle East Technical University.

Gaehtgens, 2012
Gaehtgens, T (2012) Altes Museum, Berlin: Building Prussias First Modern Museum, The First
Modern Museums Of Art: The Birth Of An Institution In 18th And Early 19th Century Europe, pp.
285-303. Getty Publications.

Gross, 2016
Gross, H (2016) Architectural Constructions of Memory & the Ruin in Post-1989 Berlin. Senior
Projects Spring 2016. Paper 266. Bard College

Maierhofer, 2005
Maierhofer, C (2005). Structural evaluation of history walls and columns in the Altes Museum in
Berlin using non-destructive testing methods. Taylor & Francis Group, London

Moyano, 1990
Moyano, A (1990). Quality vs. History: Schinkel's Altes Museum and Prussian Arts Policy. The Art
Bulletin, Vol. 72, No. 4 (Dec., 1990), pp. 585-608

Schinkel, 1989
Schinkel, K F (1989). Collection of architectural designs : including designs which have been executed
and objects whose execution was intended (New complete ed). Princeton Architectural Press, New
York

archeyes.com
Altes Museum / Karl Friedrich Schinkel ⋆ ArchEyes. (2016, November 30). Retrieved from
http://archeyes.com/altes-museum-karl-friedrich-schinkel/

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