Marbles

A collection of marble sculptures inside the newly refurbished wing of the Schloss Charlottenburg. I recently saw a performance of Mozart's greatest hits in one of the upper rooms. It was a real treat to see the palace "after hours" and the musicians were really talented, especially the soprano. Hopefully there will be other performances to enjoy in the future!

Molecule Man

I really like this sculpture, Molecule Man, from American sculptor Jonathan Borofsky. You'll find the three guys hanging out on the Spree just near the Oberbaumbrücke.

Angel's vantage

A view towards the heavens awaits you at the top of the Berliner Dom. It's well worth the walk up, for the wonderful views of the city and the skies. More skies can be found at Skywatch.

It's Friday again and I'm so glad! I'm going to see a basketball game this weekend, I hope it will be a win for Alba Berlin. If the weather permits, I'll probably also play some golf. What about you? Do you have any big plans for the weekend?

Unknown

Most of my posts lately come from my archives and I'm sorry to admit I can't find any additional information on this statue. I think it was taken somewhere near the Heinrich Heine Straße U-bahn station. I hope you'll enjoy it anyway! You'll find more interesting finds at Tuesday Treasures.

Another Kollwitz

We're on a Käthe Kollwitz roll! This is proabably her best known sculpture, depicting a mother cradling her dead son in her arms. Kollwitz had personal experience with the loss of a child, her own son died in battle during WWI.

This work stands inside the Neue Wache just off Unter den Linden. It's a monument to all victims of war and tyranny. It's really a beautiful and moving monument and Kollwitz's work is the perfect fit. I've featured other works of hers previously here.

I am so happy the weekend is finally here. Do you have any plans? I'm going to a birthday party on Saturday and will maybe play some golf on Sunday. Hope you have something fun to look forward to too!

Kollwitz Platz

An imposing statue of Käthe Kollwitz stands right in the middle of Kollwitz Platz in Prenzlauerberg. There are tons of cute cafes and restaurants right around here and if you're lucky enough to be in Berlin in the springtime, you'll find an abundance of cherry blossoms lining the square.

This sculpture is both of and by Kollwitz. I really love her work. The people always look so ordinary, but somehow that's what touches me about them. I've shown another one of her sculpture selfies here.

Larger than life

Here is a likeness of the man himself, Ernst Thälmann. It's only unfortunate that his life and death became a kind of propaganda story for the communist party of the DDR. I am not sure he would have agreed with all of the practices and policies of the German communist party that re-emerged after the war.

I also find it unfortunate that his memorial is covered with graffiti and broken beer bottles. Perhaps he'll never get the respect he deserves as a man who lived and died for his ideals.

PS: Don't forget to take a look at Halcyon Travels for more from my trip to Israel.

Selfie in black and white

Käthe Kollwitz only started sculpting during the later part of her life, but her works from this period have become some of her most well-known. In both her painting and sculpting, she did a lot of self portraits. This is one example that was on display at the Kollwitz Museum here in Berlin. The collection is small, but the museum is definitely worth visiting, if you're ever in the city.

PS: Don't forget to take a look at Halcyon Travels for more from my trip to Israel.

A phoenix in Berlin

Look closely and you'll see a Phoenix rising above the Berliner Philharmonie building in the middle of Berlin's Kulturforum. 

The bird was designed by Berlin native Hans Uhlmann and represents how the city of Berlin arose from the ashes of WWII and once again became a bright and vibrant city. The Kulturforum is just a short walk from Potsdamer Platz, which itself is a symbol of the reunification of East and West.

Wry smile

This bear looks very attached to his crest. Although he is in a cage, I didn't dare to ask him to let it go for the photo. He did give me a nice, wry smile though! You'll find more signs at Signs, Signs.

Teaser

Here's a little teaser for tomorrow's theme day. I actually took these shots in May 2014 at the Ai Weiwei exhibit in Martin Gropius Bau. 

I don't think I ever shared them though as I am not 100% pleased with how they turned out.

But I did like this sculpture and thought it was worth going back to and showing. It's Friday and I've got big plans this weekend (that don't involve golf). I'm heading with the hubs to Hamburg to celebrate our wedding anniversary. The weather should be nice, so I'm looking forward to strolling around a new city. And of course I'll take lots of photos!

Grand staircase

Remember those three Freddies I showed you the other day? Well here they are again, ready to greet you as you ascend the grand staircase inside the Bode Museum. Just looking at the scene makes me dream of the days when balls and parties were held in places like this. I'd love to make an entrance coming down these stairs. Sigh.

Guardian

I found this rather large fellow standing guard over the Märkisches Museum. I've walked by this place many times and have always marveled at the architecture. Next Wednesday is the free day, so I think I'm going to go take a look inside!

Here's a little more info on our tall friend. His name is Roland of Brandenburg and he's a copy of the original, but made especially for the museum.

What's going on in there?

I found this whimsical sculpture at the Balassi Institute Collegium Hungaricum. This guy looks so curious as to what's going on inside the Institute, but I think the real interesting thing here is those wonderful reflections in the windows!

Friday is here again. I haven't heard anything back from the job interview yet, but I hope to hear something today or possibly on Monday. Until then, I'm going to spend some good time on the golf course. And you can always see more reflections at Weekend Reflections.

It's THAT GUY again

Do you remember THAT GUY from my post last March? Well there is a second Businessman sculpture from  William McElcheran here in Berlin. I just love these whimsical figures and it was always a treat when I'd find a new one in Toronto or another Canadian city. If you have THAT GUY in your city, I'd love to see him. Until then, you can see a few Toronto examples here and here.

PS: Don't forget to visit my travel blog for more Viennese splendor.

It's THAT GUY!

Those of you who followed my photo blog in Toronto may remember how much I love the works of William McElcheran. Imagine my surprise when I turned the corner in Berlin and found THAT GUY sitting there!

McElcheran was a Canadian artist who spread these sculptures to different cities across the world, but I had no idea there were any here in Berlin. If you have THAT GUY in your city, I'd love to see him. Until then, you can see a few Toronto examples here and here.

Maksed man

I really loved this piece, Man with Mask, by Wolfgang Mattheuer. He was a founding member of the Leipzig School style of painting. Although the main body of his work was created behind the iron curtain of the GDR, he somehow managed to outsmart the censors. 

I think it's important to see this sculpture from both sides. It was one of my favorite pieces during my recent visit.

Marx and Engels

Due to construction of the new Stadtschloss, the Marx-Engels Forum has been all but lost. After some searching, I was able to find my old friends earlier this year. These two guys have always drawn tourists who like to climb up on Marx's lap and pose for a photo. This large work is a leftover from the GDR days, but there's something kitschy and unreal about it that I like.

Divided

I found this representation of how the Berlin Wall divided so many along the Bernauer Strasse memorial walkway. Something about it really touched me - maybe it's how this couple is together but still apart.

Some very important visitors (my parents) arrived in town yesterday! We are headed to Dresden and Prague tomorrow - that should be a lot of fun and also means more photos for Halcyon Travels. When we get back, I'm looking forward to showing off all the places I've discovered via my blog. Hope you won't mind some duplicate photos.

Haus am Waldsee

I just happened on the Haus am Waldsee on one of my exploratory walks recently. It looks like a lovely exhibition space and visitors were free to walk around the sculpture garden.

I really like that this bright yellow piece gets pride of place on the grounds. It was created by British artist Tony Cragg and is entitled Outspan.