Art Museum
Bode Museum
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
Bode Museum is an art museum in Bezirk Mitte, Germany. 10 works from its collection are in this catalog, including Willem Claesz Heda and Caravaggio.
About Bode Museum
Overview & Identity
The Bode Museum, located on the Museum Island in the historic center of Berlin, is a listed building and a UNESCO World Heritage site inscribed in 1999. Originally named the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum (Emperor Frederick Museum) upon its opening in 1904, it was renamed in 1956 in honor of its first curator, Wilhelm von Bode. The museum currently houses three major collections: the Sculpture Collection (Skulpturensammlung), the Museum of Byzantine Art (Museum für Byzantinische Kunst), and the Numismatic Collection (Münzkabinett). It stands as a testament to the development of museums as cultural phenomena in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
History & Founding
Constructed between 1898 and 1904 by order of German Emperor William II, the museum was designed by architect Ernst Eberhard von Ihne. It was initially dedicated to Emperor Frederick III. The museum suffered significant damage during World War II; fires in May 1945 destroyed portions of the collection stored in the Flakturm Friedrichshain, resulting in the loss of over 400 paintings and 300 sculptures. Following the war, the building was used for various exhibitions during the GDR era. It closed for a major refurbishment in 1997 and was reopened on October 18, 2006, after a €156 million renovation project.
Building & Architecture
Designed in the Baroque Revival style, the palace-like edifice sits on the triangular northern tip of Museum Island, rising above the Spree River. The building features two cupolas, both of which sustained heavy damage during World War II and were restored. The interior exhibition rooms are lavishly decorated, inspired by Italian Renaissance and Baroque styles. The renovation by architects Heinz Tesar and Atelier Christoph Fischer included the restoration of historical monument elements, the creation of new exhibition rooms in the semi-basement, and the lowering of the Small Cupola Hall to connect it with the Archaeological Promenade.
Collection Highlights & Notable Holdings
The museum's Sculpture Collection spans from the Christian Orient and Byzantium to the 18th century, featuring works by Tilman Riemenschneider, Donatello (including the 'Pazzi Madonna'), and Baccio Bandinelli. The Museum of Byzantine Art holds significant items such as the 6th-century apse mosaic from San Michele in Africisco and 12th-century mosaic icons. The Münzkabinett is one of the world's largest numismatic collections, containing approximately 500,000 items ranging from the 7th century BC to the present, including the famous 'Big Maple Leaf' gold coin which was the subject of a high-profile theft.
Significance & Legacy
The Bode Museum is significant for its pioneering curatorial approach championed by Wilhelm von Bode, who believed in mixing art collections rather than separating them by genre. This concept of 'style rooms' allowed sculptures, paintings, and crafts to be viewed together, reflecting upper-middle-class private collections of the era. Upon its 2006 reopening, Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, described it as offering the most comprehensive display of European sculpture anywhere, enabling Europe to read its history in three-dimensional form. The museum remains a central pillar of the Museum Island complex.
What to see at Bode Museum
Start with Landscape with Cows and Wildfowlers by Peter Paul Rubens.
Landscape with Cows and Wildfowlers
Susanna and the Elders
Saint Bonaventure and Saint Thomas Aquinas in Front of the Crucifix
Stilleben mit Römer
The Virgin and Child Enthroned and St. Homobonus, Francis of Assisi, Catherine of Alexandria and the Donor Bernadino da Feltre (Death 1494)
The Holy Family with Child Saint John
Works from Bode Museum
- Landscape with Cows and Wildfowlers
- Susanna and the Elders
- Saint Bonaventure and Saint Thomas Aquinas in Front of the Crucifix
- Stilleben mit Römer
- The Virgin and Child Enthroned and St. Homobonus, Francis of Assisi, Catherine of Alexandria and the Donor Bernadino da Feltre (Death 1494)
- The Holy Family with Child Saint John
Christ is mocked by soldiers, c. 1618
Still life with Akelei covered beaker dish of grapes, lemon and wine glasses
Landscape with waterfall and shepherd
Head of Christ
Plan your visit
Bode Museum
- Website
- www.smb.museum
- Part of
- Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
What's on
- Neues Museum The Crown of Kerch Treasures from the Dawn of European History19 Oct 2017 – 22 Sep 2027
- Pergamonmuseum. Das Panorama PERGAMON. Masterpieces from the Ancient Metropolis with a 360°-Panorama by Yadegar AsisiFrom 17 Nov 2018
- Bode-Museum Plain Talk About the History of the Bode-MuseumFrom 18 Nov 2020
- Neue Nationalgalerie Gerhard Richter: 100 Works for BerlinFrom 1 Apr 2023
- Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart Endless ExhibitionFrom 16 Jun 2023
- Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart Forum Hamburger BahnhofFrom 16 Jun 2023
- Neue Nationalgalerie Extreme Tension. Art between Politics and Society Collection of the Nationalgalerie 1945 – 200018 Nov 2023 – 25 Apr 2027
- Friedrichswerdersche Kirche Focus on Schinkel A Look at His Life and WorkFrom 24 Nov 2023
- Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart Joseph Beuys Works from the Nationalgalerie CollectionFrom 12 Apr 2024
- Humboldt Forum The Ziguangge: Hall of Purple Splendor Event Venue, Heroes’ Gallery and Theatre of War28 Aug 2024 – 31 Aug 2026
- Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart Museum in Motion A Collection for the 21st Century6 Sep 2024 – 26 Jul 2026
- Forschungscampus Dahlem Time & Temporality A DenkRaum (Think Tank Space) at the Forschungscampus DahlemFrom 19 Sep 2024
- Bode-Museum The Baptismal Font from Siena History, Restoration and Reinstallation of a Plaster Cast ModelFrom 20 Oct 2024
- Humboldt Forum Histories of TanzaniaFrom 29 Nov 2024
- Neues Museum Dioscuri – The Given Day12 Apr 2025 – 14 Mar 2027
- Neue Nationalgalerie Christoph Schlingensief. Deutschlandsuche ’992 May 2025 – 25 Apr 2027
- Kunstbibliothek Time Travel in the Old Tiergarten District16 May 2025 – 31 Dec 2028
- Forschungscampus Dahlem (In)Visible Places Siegfried Hirschmann – A Forgotten Industrial PioneerFrom 18 May 2025
- Altes Museum Founded on Antiquity Berlin's First Museum10 Jul 2025 – 10 Jan 2027
- Humboldt Forum The Legend of Prince Vishvantara: Boundless GenerosityFrom 24 Sep 2025
- Humboldt Forum Being Related Shared Language, Shared Knowledge?From 3 Oct 2025
- PETRI Berlin Berliner Skulpturenfund Entartete Kunst im BombenschuttFrom 16 Oct 2025
- Bode-Museum The Pazzi Conspiracy Power, Violence and Art in Renaissance-Era Florence24 Oct 2025 – 20 Sep 2026
- Kunstgewerbemuseum A Home/Haunting: 40 Years of the KGM at the Kulturforum15 Nov 2025 – 14 Jun 2026
- Humboldt Forum Making Kin28 Nov 2025 – 3 Aug 2026
- Humboldt Forum Nothing As Our Ground28 Nov 2025 – 3 Aug 2026
- Kunstgewerbemuseum Haus Lemke – The Furniture of Mies van der Rohe and Lilly ReichFrom 10 Dec 2025
- Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart Saâdane Afif Five Preludes12 Dec 2025 – 13 Sep 2026
- Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg Possibilities of an Island Thinking in Images from Gerstenberg to Scharf19 Dec 2025 – 21 Jun 2026
- James-Simon-Galerie Building community Göbeklitepe, Taş Tepeler and life 12,000 years ago6 Feb 2026 – 19 Jul 2026
- Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart Giulia Andreani Sabotage27 Feb 2026 – 13 Sep 2026
- Gemäldegalerie “Das alles bin ich!” Christoph Müller’s Gift, Part 4 Leaf by Leaf – A Life with Art10 Mar 2026 – 14 Jun 2026
- Kunstgewerbemuseum German Ecodesign Award: Thinking Ahead13 Mar 2026 – 25 Jun 2026
- Humboldt Forum Ghostbuster: Zhong Kui, the Demon Queller Here to Protect the Family18 Mar 2026 – 28 Sep 2026
- Neue Nationalgalerie Brancusi20 Mar 2026 – 9 Aug 2026
- Neues Museum Destiny in the Stars The Beginnings of the Zodiac21 Mar 2026 – 10 Jan 2027
- Alte Nationalgalerie Scandal! Hermione von Preuschen and the “Mors Imperator”22 Mar 2026 – 15 Nov 2026
- Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart Shilpa Gupta What Still Holds27 Mar 2026 – 3 Jan 2027
- Forschungscampus Dahlem The Stuff of Narrative New Perspectives on Literature16 Apr 2026 – 3 Sep 2026
- Museum für Fotografie New Woman, New Vision Women Photographers of the Bauhaus17 Apr 2026 – 4 Oct 2026
- Museum für Fotografie Intermezzo: Revisiting Helmut Newton24 Apr 2026 – 31 Dec 2027
- Museum Europäischer Kulturen Heavy Fabric Women – Traditional Costume – Life Stories24 Apr 2026 – 29 Mar 2027
- Schloss Köpenick Pewter from the Middle Ages to Art Nouveau24 Apr 2026 – 4 Oct 2026
- Neue Nationalgalerie Ruin and Rush Berlin 1910–193025 Apr 2026 – 3 Jan 2027
- Neue Nationalgalerie Fujiko Nakaya: Fog Sculpture in the Sculpture Garden of the Neue Nationalgalerie30 Apr 2026 – 25 Oct 2026
- Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart CHANEL Commission: Lina Lapelytė. We Make Years Out of Hours1 May 2026 – 10 Jan 2027
- Kulturforum Many Shades of Grès Fashion Becomes Art15 May 2026 – 11 Oct 2026
- Alte Nationalgalerie Cassirer and the Breakthrough of Impressionism22 May 2026 – 27 Sep 2026
- Museum für Fotografie Rooms / Stages5 Jun 2026 – 15 Nov 2026