What marvels me about these heritage buildings well preserved (especially fresh off a visit to Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City) is the floors. The workmanship, the cost and time to lay these down is a work of art more so than anything hung up on the wall. Don’t get me wrong, but as much as I like to talk about looking up, I think it’s worth it to pay attention to what’s under our feet as well.
Similar to the Green Bunker, this is another building in Hamburg that they’ve managed to extend or modernize to preserve the existing architecture but also finding ways to bring it into contemporary times. I will say that the contemporary wing is a far cry from the classical side of the house- at some point art turned from bringing beauty into the world and somehow turned into being about a message, often calling to absurdity at times.
Look at this photo below… what is beautiful and appealing to you? Symmetry on both of the building facades with a central entrance. One ornate and one stark.
They did an interesting job of bridging the two buildings underground, creating an outdoor plaza that I would have never though contained something underneath.
The collection of art in the classical side is not to be missed- one of the best collections I have seen so far. But again, don’t forget about those floors.
[Written at Curva Cafe on the way to Carlos Monsiváis Personal Library]
Address: Glockengießerwall 5, 20095 Hamburg, Germany
Website: Wikipedia write-up of Hamburger Kunsthalle
ofallthespaces 