Architecture in the Museum

Abstract

This chapter focuses on how curator Wilhelm von Bode intended to present the Pergamon Museum as a manifestation of the close relationship between the ancient remains and its architectural frame, resulting in a museum of ‘ancient architecture’. It begins with a historical account of architect Ludwig Hoffman's lifeworks prior to his supervision of the new Berlin museum's construction with the help of Theodor Wiegand. Wiegand states that the museum strives to recapture the theatrical yet authentic display of the ancients. In addition, the chapter talks about the circumstances that led to the Pergamon Museum's acquisition of the Market Gate of Miletus, as well as the events of Berlin's Museum War, a battle of ideologies that occurred at the time when the idea of universal civilization was sidelined in favour of cultural relativism. On a final note, Wiegand explains that his objective was to construct a museum of not just authentic philological representation but rather, a real-life experience of the historical monuments.