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Hauptbereich

Conservation

The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (National Museums in Berlin) own high-ranking, internationally significant collections of works of art and cultural objects. The material composition of these works documents the artistic and technical creative processes of the most diverse cultures and periods. In each museum, the care for the entire holding of collection items is guaranteed by conservators specialized in specific materials and types of artifacts, as relevant to the collection.

In addition to the preservation and conservation of objects, conservators focus on research, such as in the fields of technology, history of technology, and historical materials. The interdisciplinarity of this work requires also the collaboration with art historians, archaeologists and natural scientists and is the basis for the multidisciplinary accumulation of knowledge. Further key factors are the development of specific conservation approaches and methods and the testing of materials. The museums' conservators work in close partnership with the Rathgen-Forschungslabor (Rathgen Research Laboratory) of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, especially regarding aspects of preservation research.

Among the many responsibilities of conservators are also the overseeing of environmental conditions, climate and lighting in the exhibition and storage locations, the supervision of all conservation aspects of temporary exhibitions and of loans from and to other museums. The conservators of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin also supervise apprentices, trainees and students in the field of conservation. Apart from pre-programme internships (Vorpraktikum), which are an admission requirement for prospective students entering a German graduate programme for conservation studies, the museums offer other opportunities for practical internships and the supervision of theses.

Further information:

• Museum Berggruen
• Kunstbibliothek
• Ethnologisches Museum
• Kupferstichkabinett
• Alte Nationalgalerie
• Antikensammlung
• Gemäldegalerie
• Museum Europäischer Kulturen
• Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte
• Museum für Asiatische Kunst
• Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung
• Museum für Islamische Kunst
• Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst
• Vorderasiatisches Museum