“Visual art is sometimes treated simply as an archive of the priorities, preoccupations, and preferences of past times. But it can also be something to think (and feel) with in the present, and a catalyst for greater understanding of ourselves and others. This belief is at the heart of the work of the Visual Commentary on Scripture (TheVCS.org), and we have been extremely fortunate in finding a corresponding vision motivating two of the world’s greatest art galleries—both located in Berlin—to foster new ways of looking at their historic collections.
Ben Quash, Professor of Christianity and the Arts and Director of the Centre for Arts and the Sacred at King's (ASK)
18 April 2023
New collaborative project will unlock Christian art and foster interfaith discussions in the heart of Berlin
The Visual Commentary on Scripture Project at King’s has launched a new partnership with the Bode-Museum and the Gemäldegalerie of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.
The Visual Commentary on Scripture (theVCS.org) project at King’s College London has recently formed an interdisciplinary partnership with the Bode-Museum (Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst) and the Gemäldegalerie of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.
With the collection and interpretation of historic works of art becoming an increasingly public forum for discussion and debate, the challenges and opportunities for universities, museums and galleries are more significant than ever.
While some of the most famous names in the history of art produced works with Christian subject matter, the understanding and interpretation of works by these artists can be particularly challenging to non-specialists and especially to secular or non- Christian audiences. Contemporary viewers are often unfamiliar with the sacred stories represented, the specific contexts these works were made for, and the materials and techniques that were employed, making them feel distant or less accessible.
To address this challenge, the Bode-Museum (Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst) and the Gemäldegalerie of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin have recently formed an interdisciplinary partnership with the Visual Commentary on Scripture (theVCS.org).
Together, the teams have devised innovative ways of exploring the rich collections of Christian art in Berlin by combining the perspectives of art history and theology and by opening conversations with Islamic and Jewish traditions of thought. The first products of this ongoing partnership are presented in the form of short films: a series entitled ‘Unlocking Christian Art’ (26 films) and another focussed on ‘Interfaith Discussions’ (2 films) which together take on the challenge of creating accessible and engaging interpretation of these collections for 21st century audiences.
To further celebrate this partnership, the Bode-Museum hosted a public round table and a series of events on Thursday, 20 April 2023 at 6 pm, to demonstrate how these rich collections have formed the basis for interfaith discussions and how art historians and theologians are working together to unlock new insights into historic art collections. The evening marked the launch of these ongoing projects and attendees had the opportunity to follow new thematic tours through the collection accessed via QR code in situ and for a global audience online.
Guest speakers included: Rabbi Gesa Shira Ederberg, Rabbi of the Oranienburger Straße Synagogue, Berlin, Prof. Dr. Mira Sievers, Junior Professor of Islamic Theology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Prof. Dr. Ben Quash, Director of the “Centre for Arts and the Sacred” at King's College London, and Dr. Jennifer Sliwka, Lecturer in “Christianity & the Arts” at King's College London.
Working in partnership with the Bode-Museum and the Gemäldegalerie has given us a privileged opportunity to bring religious painting and sculpture alive for 21st-century audiences by making it a centrepiece of contemporary conversations, between past and present, between Jewish, Muslim, and Christian traditions, and between religious and secular ‘worlds' of thought.
Ben Quash, Professor of Christianity and the Arts and Director of the Centre for Arts and the Sacred at King's (ASK)
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Professor of Christianity and the Arts
Deputy Director of the VCS project, Senior Research Fellow and Visiting Senior Lecturer