For Klaus Biesenbach, Director of the New National Gallery, the upcoming Long Night of Museums in Berlin is “the most democratic of all art forms”. A museum is not an ivory tower, said Biesenbach on Wednesday evening with a view to the museum night organized in around 70 museums in the capital on Saturday. Museums are “a space for everyone by everyone”. There we spend time together and learn.
“Actually, we should have the long year of museums and proclaim the logic of the long night as normal,” said Biesenbach.
The museum director reported how he experienced the winter of 1989/90 as a student with an unheated basement room. “I actually spent the winter in the Bode Museum back then.”
He now sees the museums in a similar situation again. “We have a tough winter ahead of us,” said Biesenbach. “I hope that a lot of people will do it like I did in 89/90 without heating: simply spend the winter in the museums.” The houses would have to adapt to this and should “welcome people with open arms”.
After a two-year Corona break, the museums will remain open together until late at night. On August 27th, 70 museums, planetariums, art houses and castles will take part in the 40th edition. Of these, 15 are taking part for the first time, such as the Futurium, the Hamburger Bahnhof, the House of World Cultures and the Humboldt Forum.
From 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., interested visitors can visit exhibitions and take part in more than 700 events.
