Berlin has a long history with street art, most famously from the days of messages tagged on the Berlin Wall, and continuing with the more than 100 murals that cover the longest remaining stretch of it.
And now there’s a museum to highlight Berlin’s street art and works from around the world. It’s the Museum for Urban Contemporary Art, in the Schöneberg district, which opened Sept. 16, with a first-day attendance of over 13,000. The initial push came from artist Yasha Young and an organization called Urban Nation in 2013. They were able to renovate the museum space with a €1 million grant from Berlin’s Lotto earnings.
But it’s not just a display of graffiti and other artifacts; it’s a permanent curated collection from many places. Young says “Instead of another pop-up show, I wanted to give urban contemporary art an archive where one could actually research the history much longer and much later. We’re not trying to ride a wave — this project was 10 years in the making.” Young is the chief curator.
Admission at the museum is free; it’s open Tuesday-Sunday 10:00 to 18:00.
