Grassi Museum
Encyclopedia
The Grassi Museum is a building complex in Leipzig
, Germany
, home to three museums: the Ethnography Museum
, Musical Instruments Museum
, and Applied Arts Museum
.
It is sometimes known as the "Museums in the Grassi", or as the "New" Grassi Museum (to distinguish it from the older building with this name, now home to the municipal library).
, a Leipzig businessman of Italian descent, who bequeathed over two million marks to the city upon his death in 1880. This helped pay for a number of new constructions, including the Gewandhaus
and the Mende Fountain
, as well as the "Old Grassi Museum". Built from 1892-95 on the Königsplatz (now Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz), this originally housed the Museum of Ethnography
and the Museum of Arts and Crafts
, and is now the municipal library.
and Art Deco
, based around several courtyards. It was built from 1925-29 (one of the few new museums of the Weimar Era
), on the site of the old Johannis Hospital. The urban planner Hubert Ritter had intended for it to be the starting point of an eastward expansion of the city. It originally contained the Johannis Church, demolished in 1963.
The New Grassi Museum was severely bombed
in 1943, with the loss of tens of thousands of items. Rebuilding began in 1947, with the first exhibitions in 1954. It was closed from 1981-85 due to a problem with the heating system. It was completely renovated from 2001-05, including the removal of some of the front windows. It partly reopened in 2005, though the Museum of Applied Arts did not reopen until 2007.
It is a historically preserved
building, and is one of around 20 so-called "Cultural Lighthouses" in the German government's Blue Book of culturally significant sites in the former East Germany. As such, it is a member of the Konferenz Nationaler Kultureinrichtungen
.
in October, the Grassimesse, whose origins go back to 1920.
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, home to three museums: the Ethnography Museum
Leipzig Museum of Ethnography
The Leipzig Museum of Ethnography is a large ethnographic museum in Leipzig, Germany. Today it is part of the Grassi Museum, an institution which also includes the Museum of Applied Arts and the Museum of Musical Instruments, based in a large building on the Johannisplatz.-History:The museum...
, Musical Instruments Museum
Museum of Musical Instruments of the University of Leipzig
The Museum of Musical Instruments of the University of Leipzig is a museum in Leipzig, Germany. It is located on Johannisplatz, near the city centre...
, and Applied Arts Museum
Leipzig Museum of Applied Arts
The Museum of Applied Arts is a museum in Leipzig, Germany. It is the second oldest museum of decorative arts in the country, founded just six years after the Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin...
.
It is sometimes known as the "Museums in the Grassi", or as the "New" Grassi Museum (to distinguish it from the older building with this name, now home to the municipal library).
Origins
The museum is named for Franz Dominic GrassiFranz Dominic Grassi
Franz Dominic Grassi was a merchant in Leipzig with Italian descent. Through his extensive heritage to the city it was possible to construct numerous monuments and buildings.- Life :...
, a Leipzig businessman of Italian descent, who bequeathed over two million marks to the city upon his death in 1880. This helped pay for a number of new constructions, including the Gewandhaus
Gewandhaus
Gewandhaus is a concert hall in Leipzig, Germany. Today's hall is the third to bear this name; like the second, it is noted for its fine acoustics. The first Gewandhaus was built in 1781 by architect Johann Carl Friedrich Dauthe. The second opened on 11 December 1884, and was destroyed in the...
and the Mende Fountain
Fountains in Leipzig
The fountains in Leipzig were originally built as part of the city's water supply and in the 19th and 20th centuries others were added for decorative functions...
, as well as the "Old Grassi Museum". Built from 1892-95 on the Königsplatz (now Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz), this originally housed the Museum of Ethnography
Leipzig Museum of Ethnography
The Leipzig Museum of Ethnography is a large ethnographic museum in Leipzig, Germany. Today it is part of the Grassi Museum, an institution which also includes the Museum of Applied Arts and the Museum of Musical Instruments, based in a large building on the Johannisplatz.-History:The museum...
and the Museum of Arts and Crafts
Leipzig Museum of Applied Arts
The Museum of Applied Arts is a museum in Leipzig, Germany. It is the second oldest museum of decorative arts in the country, founded just six years after the Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin...
, and is now the municipal library.
New building
The old museum became too small for the collections, prompting its director to call for an architecture competition to design a new building, to be paid for with the Grassi bequest. The winning firm designed a building with elements of New ObjectivityNew Objectivity
The New Objectivity is a term used to characterize the attitude of public life in Weimar Germany as well as the art, literature, music, and architecture created to adapt to it...
and Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
, based around several courtyards. It was built from 1925-29 (one of the few new museums of the Weimar Era
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
), on the site of the old Johannis Hospital. The urban planner Hubert Ritter had intended for it to be the starting point of an eastward expansion of the city. It originally contained the Johannis Church, demolished in 1963.
The New Grassi Museum was severely bombed
Bombing of Leipzig in World War II
During World War II, Leipzig was repeatedly attacked by British as well as American air raids. The most severe attack was launched by the Royal Air Force in the early hours of December 4, 1943 and claimed more than 1,800 lives...
in 1943, with the loss of tens of thousands of items. Rebuilding began in 1947, with the first exhibitions in 1954. It was closed from 1981-85 due to a problem with the heating system. It was completely renovated from 2001-05, including the removal of some of the front windows. It partly reopened in 2005, though the Museum of Applied Arts did not reopen until 2007.
It is a historically preserved
Cultural Heritage Management
Cultural heritage management is the vocation and practice of managing cultural heritage. It is a branch of cultural resources management , although it also draws on the practices of conservation, restoration, museology, archaeology, history and architecture...
building, and is one of around 20 so-called "Cultural Lighthouses" in the German government's Blue Book of culturally significant sites in the former East Germany. As such, it is a member of the Konferenz Nationaler Kultureinrichtungen
Konferenz Nationaler Kultureinrichtungen
The Konferenz Nationaler Kultureinrichtungen or Conference of National Cultural Institutions is a union of more than twenty cultural organizations in the former East Germany...
.
Trade fair
The Grassi Museum hosts an annual trade fairTrade fair
A trade fair is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products, service, study activities of rivals and examine recent market trends and opportunities...
in October, the Grassimesse, whose origins go back to 1920.
External links
- The Grassi Museum
- The Grassimesse
- Grassi-Museum: Der ganze Reichtum unseres Kontinents Andreas Platthaus, Frankfurter Allgemeine ZeitungFrankfurter Allgemeine ZeitungThe Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , short F.A.Z., also known as the FAZ, is a national German newspaper, founded in 1949. It is published daily in Frankfurt am Main. The Sunday edition is the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung .F.A.Z...
, 30 November 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2010. - Akrobaten, Drachen und Pagoden: Die Chinoiserien in Leipzigs Grassimuseum Carola Nathan, Monumente-Online, June 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2010.