museum FLUXUS+

A piano laced with sauerkraut or a typewriter smudged with lipstick? Indeed, the creations of the Fluxus movement are absurd, grotesque and as significant as they come. Fluxus artists show us the transience of things through decay, mould and decomposition. Organic material plays a vital role in the scheme of things as the museum FLUXUS+ documents this unusual art movement represented by, among others, Wolf Vostell, Ben Patterson and Yoko Ono. The + represents other contemporary artists such as the painter and wood sculptor Lutz Friedel and multimedia artist Constantino Ciervo.

Tour through the collection

Collector Henry Liman has a fondness for Fluxus and has put together a fantastic collection. In 2008, he opens the first museum of modern art in Potsdam. Liman personally selects artists for the exhibitions. Spread across two floors over 1000 square metres, the rooms are designed in stark white. The tour begins on the ground floor where the Fluxus movement is presented through the works of exponents such as Ben Patterson, Emmett Williams and Nam June Paik. You'll find broken music instruments, abstract paintings and even hearing installations. Artist Wolf Vostell is the big hit on the first floor. Born in Rhineland-Palatinate in 1932, he is regarded as a pioneer of installations and happenings. His works and career are documented under the motto Life is art. Art is life. In his work Transmigration, the viewer can watch flickering TV through a crack in the canvas. There's more art in store - watch out for Costantino Ciervo's typewriter installation, the contrasting paintings by Hella de Santarossa or Lutz Friedel's composition Das nächtliche Atelier (Nightly Studio). Once back in the foyer, have a tea at the Museum Cafe or visit the shop.

Highlights at museum FLUXUS+

• Comprehensive exhibition on Fluxus pioneer Wolf Vostell
• Mary Baumeister's object with glass lenses (1964)
• expressive painting by Sebastian Heiner
• #permanentFluxus: free documentation of the Fluxus movement in the atrium
• Avant-garde art café with a view over the Havel river

More art in and around Potsdam

The Museum Barberini is the creation of art patron Hasso Plattner who heavily invests in the project to revive Potsdam's city centre. Plattner funds construction, including the reconstruction of the beautiful baroque Palazzo Barberini. The museum features a permanent collection on Berlin's art scene. Discover works by painters Gerhard Richter, Wolfgang Mattheuer and Werner Tübke here. Incidentally, Richter's works are considered to be the most expensive of still living artists. A 20-minute walk will get you from museum FLUXUS+ to Museum Barberini. Another potential stop is the BKV Brandenburgischer Kunstverein (Brandenburg Art Association) which proposes regularly changing photographic exhibitions pertaining to the political and social situation, as well as drawings and installations.

Tips for your visit

From Berlin, take the S-Bahn to Babelsberg. From there, take tram lines 94 or 99 to Schiffbauergasse/Uferweg station. Alternatively, you could take the tram 99 and 93 from Potsdamer Hauptbahnhof to Holzmarktstrasse. On the premises at the Schiffbauergasse, car drivers will find paid parking spaces. Pupils, students and holders of the Berlin Welcome Card can enjoy discounts. Every first Wednesday of the month there is generally 50% off on the entrance. For public and private guided tours, please call in advance. Note that the FLUXUS + museum is only open during the second half of the week.

 

Opening hours