Category: Art

Background

Georgium Palace in Dessau has not always accommodated the Anhalt Painting Gallery. It only moved into the palace in 1959, after being housed in the Palais Reina in Dessau, which was destroyed in the war. The history of the palace and that of the painting collection could not be more different: here a palace, first built as a small summer palace for Prince Johann Georg von Anhalt-Dessau (who gave the Palace its name) and intended for private living, there a collection that grew together from several estates into a great treasure for Dessau as a public collection.

When it was decided to modernize Schloss Georgium and adapt it to the current standards of a painting gallery, gewerkdesign was brought in as a consulting partner for the gallery’s refurbishment in 2014. The result is a museum concept that divides the three levels of the building into different usage concepts: On the first floor, functional rooms such as the checkroom, toilets, a lecture hall and reception await the visitors supplemented by a “historical tour” through the history of the house, the Georgen-garden and the history of the collection. The main part of the painting collection will be exhibited on the 1st floor, while graphic works will hang mainly in the mezzanine. In order to keep the hanging of the paintings in the landmark castle flexible, colored wear walls have been hung on the existing walls, which slow down the climate change from the exterior to the interior and protect the paintings by providing a stable temperature. The furniture of the house is part of a series designed by gewerkdesign. The substructure made of delicately processed metal as well as the colored upholstery of the seats takes up the historical furnishing of the house.

A minimalist sign system guides the way through the house. The thematic division of the rooms is also designed in a restrained manner; the paintings are to be the focus. Each room is given a lettering of the respective period in milled letters. Information on the artistic works can be obtained by the visitors from object signs, which are mounted underneath the wear walls. This ensures the greatest possible auratic effect of the paintings in interaction with the color scheme of the walls surrounding them. The thematic rooms on the ground floor have been equipped with media tables. Interactive stations and hands-on exhibits invite active participation. The corporate design with a strong signet and word brand in black on white or yellow leaves room for the great collection. In the future, further information about the castle and the collection will be available individually via a web-based app.

Portfolio / Range of Services:
Design and consulting of exhibition architecture and utilization concept, design and planning of thematic rooms, execution planning, exhibition production, project management, hands-on development (media) and production, exhibition graphics, guidance system in the castle, corporate design, design web and webAPP