Picture Cellar
"Buried" paintings have long been hidden away in the Akademie's cellar on Pariser Platz. These murals were created for the carnival celebrations. They were painted in 1957 and 1958 by master students of the Deutsche Akademie der Künste (GDR) – Manfred Böttcher, Harald Metzkes, Ernst Schroeder and Horst Zickelbein – and are evidence of this younger generation's opposition within East Berlin painting. In these murals the artists explored a style that greatly deviated from government-approved Socialist Realism, and their "Black Paintings" were defamed by the official art critics as outdated, decadent and formalistic.
The murals, which have been photographed, published and have been undergoing conservation since 1989, can now be viewed for the first time during Berlin Art Week. At the opening, filmed interviews with Jürgen Böttcher | Strawalde, Matthias Flügge, Dieter Goltzsche, Harald Metzkes and Werner Stötzer will be screened, the conservation team will provide insights into their work, and audio recordings of the debates at that time can be heard. Access to the Picture Cellar is only possible on a guided tour.
Part of the
Please note that the Picture Celler is not accessible for wheelchair users. We apologize for this inconvenience.
On 29 September 2018, access to Pariser Platz may be restricted or blocked off. Please access the Akademie building through the Behrenstraße 72 entrance.
Additional guided tours: