Sculpture garden at the Georg Kolbe Museum

The studio ensemble, which the sculptor Georg Kolbe had built in 1928/29, is an important example of Berlin architecture of the 1920s. Two parallel, strictly cubic brick buildings flank a sculpture garden worth seeing.

The garden was laid out by the client himself in close consultation with his architect. Memories of scenic landscapes and moods that Kolbe had experienced with his wife on their travels together played an important role. The garden was closed off from the street by a wall connecting the two buildings and thus became a secluded retreat. It also served as a sheltered outdoor working studio, the walled sculpture courtyard for the installation of his works of art. This tradition has been continued with the use of the sculptor's studio as a museum since 1950.

Garden and building form an inseparable unit, which on the one hand documents the very personal ideas of the builder and on the other hand the modern tendencies of building and garden art of the late 1920s in an exemplary manner. The architecture stands for a moderate formal language of modern building, completely tailored to Kolbe. In its overall composition, it represents an outstanding example of responding to existing conditions and incorporating the landscape into the overall picture.

Source: The texts have been taken from the Georg Kolbe Museum website, but have been slightly abridged.