Bern Collection of Antiquities

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Antiquities Collection University of Bern
Data
place Hallerstrasse 12
3012 Bern
Switzerland Coordinates: 46 ° 57 ′ 10 "  N , 7 ° 26 ′ 6.7"  E ; CH1903:  599738  /  200188World icon
Art Plaster casts
opening 1806 (collection)
1995 (exhibition)
operator Institute for Archaeological Sciences University of Bern
management Elena Mango
Website www.antikensammlung.unibe.ch

The University of Bern Collection of Antiquities is affiliated with the Institute for Archaeological Sciences of the University of Bern , Department for Archeology of the Mediterranean Area and is located in a publicly accessible Schaulager on Hallerstrasse near the University and the main train station .

history

In 1806, the canton of Bern in Paris bought the first plaster casts based on ancient originals for the Academia Bernensis. They were used 28 years before the University of Bern was founded (1834) for study purposes in art classes. In 1809 two more purchases were made. In the following years the collection of casts was continuously expanded. From 1864 it was exhibited for 15 years in the Federal Council House built by Jakob Friedrich Studer , today's Bundeshaus West. After the establishment of the Kunstmuseum Bern by the architect Eugen Stettler , the sculptures were transferred to the new museum in 1879.

In the 20th century, plaster casts lost their popularity; according to the management of the Kunstmuseum Bern, they lacked authenticity. The collection was banned from the museum in the 1930s. The artist Cuno Amiet , honorary doctorate from the philosophical and historical faculty of the University of Bern and co-director of the Kunstmuseum Bern, pleaded at the time: "These plasters should be thrown into the Aare , they only spoil the good taste of our contemporary artists." The figures were then stored in the screed of the Kirchenfeld grammar school .

After the University of Bern decided to set up an archaeological seminar in 1957, Professor Hans Jucker saved the cast collection from its 40-year slumber. He made it available to the public in 1970 and turned the collection of antiquities into a tool for archaeological research. Since 1995 it has been housed at its current location in the form of a Schaulager.

management

Director of the Antikensammlung and co-director of the Institute for Archaeological Sciences at the University of Bern has been Prof. Dr. Elena Mango , Ordinaria for Archeology of the Mediterranean.

literature

  • Adrian Stähli, Sandor Kuthy: The Bern cast collection. Archaeological Seminar of the University of Bern, Bern 1985, ISBN 3-905046-14-8 .

Exhibitions

On June 7, 2019, the special exhibition FACING HISTORY - CULTURAL HISTORY IN DIALOGUE was opened in the Antikensammlung of the University of Bern. In this interdisciplinary exhibition, the white plaster casts are used with interactive video projections. Digital media such as voice and face recognition enable visitors to talk directly to the historical sculptures. Actors give characters their voices and faces. In this way, the sculptures and busts enter into dialogue with the audience. The Greek deities Hermes , Aphrodite , Apollon and Athena can be addressed via a microphone and asked about their history. In concise video sequences, they answer questions from the audience and provide information about their origins and their love and life stories. The focus of the exhibition is on the history of European mentalities and cultural diversity .

The concept for the exhibition was developed by media artists Frantiček Klossner and Marc-André Gasser and implemented in collaboration with Elena Mango in the Antikensammlung of the University of Bern. The transdisciplinary exhibition concept was recognized by the Office for Culture of the Canton of Bern as part of the innovation competition for digital cultural mediation and cultural participation KULTUR.DIGITAL. The exhibition lasts until June 7, 2020 and is under the patronage of the Director of Education of the Canton of Bern, Government Councilor Christine Häsler .

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