Berlin University of Arts



 


 


 


 

Berlin University of Arts

Germany's only university that has full status and can impart doctorates, it is the most influential and relevant institutions for the arts in Europe. Its core subjects cover Fine Arts, Architecture, Media and Design, and Musical Arts[2]. It was established in Prussian Berlin in 1696, originally called the "Academy of the Art of Painting, Pictorial Art and Architecture." It changed several times over the centuries and it finally merged with another art school in 1975, while it wouldn't receive the modern name until 2001. The university is seen to be heavily competitive and elitist, and is seen as the "cutting edge" of art in Europe. This is seen from the relatively low student count (only in the thousands)[3]as opposed to the more populous universities. Naturally, this is also a place where students of LGBT could express themselves through art and music in a way that could be seen as "acceptable." This would happen in both during the Weimar Republic and after the Second World War, particularly in the 60s when counter-culture movements were arising all over the world. This was also enhanced by the University's status as a hotbed of cutting-edge culture; whatever was happening in the world (and especially Europe) in regards to culture, it was happening even more so in the University.

[1]"Universität Der Künste Berlin." Fine Arts – Universität Der Künste Berlin. Accessed February 25, 2019. https://www.udk-berlin.de/en/university/.

[2]"Universität Der Künste Berlin." Top Universities. November 20, 2018. Accessed February 25, 2019. https://www.topuniversities.com/universities/universitat-der-kunste-berlin.

[3]"Zahlen Und Fakten." Razor Tie Artery Foundation Announce New Joint Venture Recordings | Razor & Tie. Accessed February 25, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20161207062314/https://www.udk-berlin.de/service/presse-kommunikation-der-universitaet-der-kuenste-berlin/zahlen-und-fakten/.

Above the location, its history and relevance was discussed, but also a little bit of its cultural relevance was also mentioned. This will focus more on that. As described above, this site would have huge relevance towards the LGBT counter-culture movement. Coming off of the end of the Second World War and the discrimination of homosexuals and others under the Nazis[1], there was still a lot of tension over LGBT people only twenty years later. Naturally these ideas don't just "die away," even with the effort on the part of the Allies to "denazify" Germany. As the 60s lead to counter-culture movements that supported "free love" and open sexuality in America and Europe[2], the contradiction of this Berlin to 1940s Berlin would have been obvious and potentially a little frightening and destabilizing. As this university was on the cutting edge of culture, the student population was a lot more acceptable to these new free love beliefs, and the nature of art, music, performing and even other studies like architecture allowed them to express themselves in a safe environment[3]. And so this university was almost a shelter to nurture these LGBT acceptance ideas and allowed them to flourish, which would from there pour out into Berlin around it. As this is the first point of interest on our tour, it is important to start here first because it can easily be seen as the originator for all these LGBT counter-culture movements that this tour is about; we are essentially starting with the egg for the chicken. The goal of the tour is to show the growth of the acceptance of these movements in Berlin and what better place to start than where those movements themselves started, in the cutting edge of culture that is the Berlin University of the Arts.

[1]Oosterhuis, Harry. "Medicine, Male Bonding and Homosexuality in Nazi Germany." Nazi Germany, 2017, 269-88. doi:10.4324/9781315248271-12.

[2]Duncan, Russell. "The Summer of Love and Protest Transatlantic Counterculture in the 1960s." The Transatlantic Sixties, 2013. doi:10.14361/transcript.9783839422168.144.

[3]Chalmers, Graeme. "Visual Culture Education in the 1960s." Art Education 58, no. 6 (2005): 6-11. doi:10.1080/00043125.2005.11651563.

[1]"Universität Der Künste Berlin." Fine Arts – Universität Der Künste Berlin. Accessed February 25, 2019. https://www.udk-berlin.de/en/university/.

[2]"Universität Der Künste Berlin." Top Universities. November 20, 2018. Accessed February 25, 2019. https://www.topuniversities.com/universities/unive....

[3]"Zahlen Und Fakten." Razor Tie Artery Foundation Announce New Joint Venture Recordings | Razor & Tie. Accessed February 25, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20161207062314/https://www.udk-berlin.de/service/presse-kommunikation-der....

[4]Oosterhuis, Harry. "Medicine, Male Bonding and Homosexuality in Nazi Germany." Nazi Germany, 2017, 269-88. doi:10.4324/9781315248271-12.

[5]Duncan, Russell. "The Summer of Love and Protest Transatlantic Counterculture in the 1960s." The Transatlantic Sixties, 2013. doi:10.14361/transcript.9783839422168.144.

[6]Chalmers, Graeme. "Visual Culture Education in the 1960s." Art Education 58, no. 6 (2005): 6-11. doi:10.1080/00043125.2005.11651563


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