Busch-Reisinger Museum
Encyclopedia
The Busch-Reisinger Museum, opened to the public in 1903, is one of two museums in North America
dedicated to the study of art from the German-speaking countries of Europe. The other museum is the Neue Galerie
, located in New York City
. The Busch-Reisinger joins the Fogg Museum and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum
as part of the Harvard Art Museums.
From 1921-1991, the Busch-Reisinger was located in Adolphus Busch Hall
at 29 Kirkland Street. The hall continues to house the Busch-Reisinger's founding collection of medieval plaster casts and an exhibition on the history of the Busch-Reisinger Museum; it also hosts concerts on its world-renowned Flentrop
pipe organ. In 1991, the Busch-Reisinger moved to the new Werner Otto Hall, designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates, at 32 Quincy Street.
In 2008, Otto Hall closed and is being demolished as part of a major renovation project to create a new museum building designed by architect Renzo Piano
that will house all three museums one facility. During the renovation, selected works from all three museums are on display at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum
, located at 485 Broadway.
art, German Expressionism
, 1920s abstract art
, and material related to the Bauhaus
. Other strengths include late medieval sculpture and 18th-century art.
The museum also holds noteworthy postwar and contemporary art from German-speaking Europe, including works by Georg Baselitz
, Anselm Kiefer
, Gerhard Richter
, and one of the world's most comprehensive collections of works by Joseph Beuys
. Many of the works in the Busch-Reisinger collection can be accessed as part of the Harvard Art Museums' online Collection Search, which features 250,000 works of art.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
dedicated to the study of art from the German-speaking countries of Europe. The other museum is the Neue Galerie
Neue Galerie
The Neue Galerie New York is a museum of early twentieth-century German and Austrian art and design located at 86th Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City, United States...
, located in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The Busch-Reisinger joins the Fogg Museum and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum
Arthur M. Sackler Museum
The Arthur M. Sackler Museum joins the Fogg Museum and the Busch-Reisinger Museum as part of the Harvard Art Museums. Its postmodern building was designed by British architect James Stirling, generally regarded as the greatest British architect of the 20th century, and recipient of the Pritzker...
as part of the Harvard Art Museums.
From 1921-1991, the Busch-Reisinger was located in Adolphus Busch Hall
Adolphus Busch Hall
Adolphus Busch Hall is a Harvard University building located at 27 Kirkland Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is named for brewer and philanthropist Adolphus Busch, former president of the Anheuser-Busch company, who contributed $265,000 to its building fund.The hall was designed by architect...
at 29 Kirkland Street. The hall continues to house the Busch-Reisinger's founding collection of medieval plaster casts and an exhibition on the history of the Busch-Reisinger Museum; it also hosts concerts on its world-renowned Flentrop
Flentrop
Flentrop is a Dutch company based in Zaandam that builds and restores organs.-History:It was established in 1903 by Hendrik Wicher Flentrop from Koog aan de Zaan. Hendrik, originally a house painter by trade, was an organist at the church at Zaandam, and started a piano - and organ trade...
pipe organ. In 1991, the Busch-Reisinger moved to the new Werner Otto Hall, designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates, at 32 Quincy Street.
In 2008, Otto Hall closed and is being demolished as part of a major renovation project to create a new museum building designed by architect Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano is an Italian architect. He is the recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, AIA Gold Medal, Kyoto Prize and the Sonning Prize...
that will house all three museums one facility. During the renovation, selected works from all three museums are on display at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum
Arthur M. Sackler Museum
The Arthur M. Sackler Museum joins the Fogg Museum and the Busch-Reisinger Museum as part of the Harvard Art Museums. Its postmodern building was designed by British architect James Stirling, generally regarded as the greatest British architect of the 20th century, and recipient of the Pritzker...
, located at 485 Broadway.
Collection
The Busch-Reisinger's holdings include Vienna SecessionVienna Secession
The Vienna Secession was formed in 1897 by a group of Austrian artists who had resigned from the Association of Austrian Artists, housed in the Vienna Künstlerhaus. This movement included painters, sculptors, and architects...
art, German Expressionism
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
, 1920s abstract art
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
, and material related to the Bauhaus
Bauhaus
', commonly known simply as Bauhaus, was a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933. At that time the German term stood for "School of Building".The Bauhaus school was founded by...
. Other strengths include late medieval sculpture and 18th-century art.
The museum also holds noteworthy postwar and contemporary art from German-speaking Europe, including works by Georg Baselitz
Georg Baselitz
Georg Baselitz is a German painter who studied in the former East Germany, before moving to what was then the country of West Germany...
, Anselm Kiefer
Anselm Kiefer
Anselm Kiefer is a German painter and sculptor. He studied with Joseph Beuys and Peter Dreher during the 1970s. His works incorporate materials such as straw, ash, clay, lead, and shellac...
, Gerhard Richter
Gerhard Richter
Gerhard Richter is a German visual artist. Richter has simultaneously produced abstract and photorealistic painted works, as well as photographs and glass pieces, thus undermining the concept of the artist’s obligation to maintain a single cohesive style.- Biography :Gerhard Richter was born in...
, and one of the world's most comprehensive collections of works by Joseph Beuys
Joseph Beuys
Joseph Beuys was a German performance artist, sculptor, installation artist, graphic artist, art theorist and pedagogue of art.His extensive work is grounded in concepts of humanism, social philosophy and anthroposophy; it culminates in his "extended definition of art" and the idea of social...
. Many of the works in the Busch-Reisinger collection can be accessed as part of the Harvard Art Museums' online Collection Search, which features 250,000 works of art.
External links
- Harvard Art Museums website
- Fogg Museum website
- Busch-Reisinger Museum website
- Arthur M. Sackler Museum website
- Archaeological Exploration of Sardis, Turkey website
- Center for the Technical Study of Modern Art website
- Harvard Art Museums Archives website
- The Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies website
- Harvard Art Museums Collection Search website
- Harvard University website