Report by Charlotte Schatz
[Ed. note: Philadelphia artist Charlotte Schatz made a trip to Berlin, Lyon and Paris this spring and wrote these lively reports on her visit. The first four posts will cover her time in Berlin.]
HALOO from Berlin:
After climbing to the 5th floor, up and down the subway steps, long blocks from bus to trolley, I have wonderful legs. Today we went to the Pergamon Museum to see the Pergamum alterpiece – a huge classical Greek monument which was taken by the Russians to Leningrad after WWII and returned to Berlin in the 60’s or 70’s. Saw the Ishtar gates and the model of Babylon with the walls of Lions in ceramic tiles. It was amazing to see this huge temple which was originally 20 meters longs. It was like seeing my Art History I course in life.
Pergamon Gates at Pergamon Museum
Many of the Berlin young people are punked with multicolored hair, piercings, zippers, mohawks, etc. But they are not dangerous. I’ve seen people of all ages with red, strawberry, orange, yellow, green hair. It’s a Berlin thing. I had some wonderful pictures from May Day but unfortunately, last night when i was trying for the first time to erase some pictures, I erased some irrepaceable photos! You should have heard my language!
Later went to the Bauhaus Museum and later to the Kathe Kollwitz Museum. Kollwitz’s work is so moving, still powerful. The Bauhaus (my roots) was wonderful to see. The weather is wonderful, warm and sunny. I could finally leave my jacket in my apartment.
Plaque memorializing Otto Weidt who hired blind and handicapped Jews during WW II.
More tomorrow. Oh, yes, on the way to the Kollwitz museum, we went through a plaza that had a huge Israeli fair, entertainment stage, tents with all kinds of stuff for sale and a huge audience. Robert tells me that there is every effort to keep the Holocaust alive. We found a memorial to a man, Otto Weidt, who ran a factory for brushes where he hired and hid blind and handicapped Jews all during the war. The building was full of young German and French students on tour. We found this bronze plaque on the sidewalk outside his building.
—Charlotte Schatz is a Philadelphia painter and sculptor. Read Parts 2 and 1.
