Upper sculpture hall, Albertinum, Dresden

The Albertinum () is a modern art museum. The sandstone-clad

Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

building is located on Brühl's Terrace in the historic center of

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

, Germany. It is named after King

Albert of Saxony en, Frederick Augustus Albert Anthony Ferdinand Joseph Charles Maria Baptist Nepomuk William Xavier George Fidelis , image = Albert of Saxony by Nicola Perscheid c1900.jpg , image_size = , caption = Photograph by Nicola Persch ...

. The Albertinum hosts the New Masters Gallery (''Galerie Neue Meister'') and the Sculpture Collection (''Skulpturensammlung'') of the Dresden State Art Collections. The museum presents both paintings and sculptures from

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

to the present, covering a period of some 200 years.

History

The Albertinum was built between 1884 and 1887 by extending a former armoury, or arsenal, that had been constructed between 1559 and 1563 at the same location.Fritz Löffler: ''Das alte Dresden - Geschichte seiner Bauten''. 16th ed. Leipzig: Seemann, 2006, The new building was designed by the regional master builder Carl Adolf Canzler in the Renaissance Revival style to house the royal "Collection of Antique and Modern Sculptures". The building was named after the Saxonian King

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Alber ...

who reigned at the time. In 1889, the Sculpture Collection was moved in and has since remained there. Damaged in the February 13, 1945

bombing of Dresden in World War II The bombing of Dresden was a joint British and American aerial bombing attack on the city of Dresden, the capital of the German state of Saxony, during World War II. In four raids between 13 and 15 February 1945, 772 heavy bombers of the Roya ...

, the Albertinum was restored by 1953. Besides the Sculpture Collection, the Albertinum has housed the New Masters Gallery (''Galerie Neue Meister'') in the upper rooms since 1965. It was also the temporary postwar home of the Numismatic Cabinet (''Münzkabinett'') and the

Green Vault The Green Vault (german: Grünes Gewölbe) is a museum located in Dresden, Germany, which contains the largest treasure collection in Europe. The museum was founded in 1723 by Augustus the Strong of Poland and Saxony, and it features a variety of ...

(''Grünes Gewölbe'') until the exhibitions were moved to the rebuilt

Dresden Castle Dresden Castle or Royal Palace (german: Dresdner Residenzschloss or ) is one of the oldest buildings in Dresden, Germany. For almost 400 years, it was the residence of the electors (1547–1806) and kings (1806–1918) of Saxony from the Alberti ...

in 2002 and 2004, respectively. The floods of 2002 necessitated renovating the Albertinum and building a new flood-proof depository. After closing in 2006, the building was finally reopened on June 20, 2010 as a "house of the modern" with the New Masters Gallery and the Sculpture Collection, "designed for encounters between painting and sculpture, between the Romantic and the Modern". The most important improvement has been the roofing of the inner courtyard to form an

atrium Atrium may refer to: Anatomy * Atrium (heart), an anatomical structure of the heart * Atrium, the genital structure next to the genital aperture in the reproductive system of gastropods * Atrium of the ventricular system of the brain * Pulmona ...

, called "an ark for the art". Furthermore, the glazed walling of the establishment's depositories gives visitors views of the inner workings of a museum.

Museums

Sculpture corridor in the Albertinum in Dresden

The Albertinum houses the New Masters Gallery (''Galerie Neue Meister'') and the Sculpture Collection (''Skulpturensammlung''). The holdings of the two museums, with paintings ranging from Caspar David Friedrich to Ludwig Richter and sculptures from

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

to the 21st century, are displayed on three floors in exhibition halls with a modern look.

Notes and references

External links

Albertinum Homepage
of Dresden State Art Collections {{authority control Art museums and galleries in Dresden Buildings and structures in Dresden Rebuilt buildings and structures in Dresden 1889 establishments in Germany Art museums established in 1889

History

Museums

See also

Notes and references

External links