On 11 July, David Chipperfield and art historian Sir Neil MacGregor were on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme to talk about the opening of the James-Simon-Galerie, the new entrance building to Berlin’s Museum Island. Speaking to BBC’s Justin Webb, they discussed the symbolic importance of the building, the use of columns as a civic gesture and the meaning of having the museum named after Jewish art collector James Simon, who donated many prominent art works to the Berlin State museums.
The building will open to the public 13 July, after an official opening ceremony attended by Chancellor Angela Merkel on 12 July.
Image © Ute Zscharnt for David Chipperfield
Architects