Berlin Gets New Art Exhibition Center
June 7, 2008
A ground-breaking ceremony was held at the Schlossplatz in downtown Berlin on Friday, June 6. After just four months of construction, the site will be home to the "White Cube," a modern art center designed by Austrian architect Adolf Krischanitz.
In 2010, the White Cube will be cleared away to make room for the reconstruction of the Prussian "Stadtschloss" palace and the extension of the city's subway system.
Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit said that the venue would be dedicated to exhibiting works by "artists with a connection to Berlin who are on their way to worldwide renown but up until now haven't had the opportunity to be presented in Berlin," reported AP news agency.
The temporary exhibition space is seen as an "appeal to create a permanent art hall in Berlin," he said, conceding that a suitable location simply had not yet been found.
Though the German capital is considered one of the most important centers in the world for art galleries and contemporary art production, it lacks its own exhibition hall for modern art.
Estimated at 950,000 euros ($1.49 million), the cost of the White Cube will be covered by the private foundation Berlin Zukunft. The one-storey building will provide 600 square meters (6,500 square feet) of exhibition space, and its outer surface will also be used to display art.
The White Cube is scheduled to open on Oct. 17 with an exhibition of works by Candice Breitz, a South African artist living in Berlin.