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Newly curated, right in the centre of Berlin

With around 20,000 exhibits on 16,000 square metres, the collections of the Ethnologisches Museum and Museum für Asiatische Kunst of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, as well as six temporary exhibitions, offer a diverse view of past and present cultures of Africa, America, Asia and Oceania. The new presentation, which was developed in many areas in cooperation with communities from the various regions of the world, raises pressing questions about the origin of the objects, the conditions under which they were collected and the effects of colonialism up to the present day.

Africa

Wooden figures and masks from Cameroon, ivory objects, traditional clothing from Namibia and the “bronzes” from the historic kingdom of Benin – many objects were taken from the African continent as a consequence of colonial rule.

Africa: The Must Sees

Oceania

In the vastness of the Pacific, the islands of Oceania appear small and isolated. For their local populations, however, the sea was an interconnected living space. The boats in the Humboldt Forum bear witness to their outstanding navigational and boat-building skills.

Oceania: The Must Sees

Asia

Experience Khmer art, Chinese courtly art, Buddhist cave temples, religious rituals around the gods of India, Korean ceramic traditions, Indian miniature paintings, Asian shadow play, the global diversity of Islam or a tea ceremony in the tea house specially designed for the Humboldt Forum.

Asia: The Must Sees

The Americas

Discover the Mesoamerican ball game, the the golden “Kazike” figure of the of the pre-Columbian Quimbaya, an elaborately painted Mayan cacao vessel or the monumental Cotzumalhuapa stelae from present-day Guatemala.

The Americas: The Must Sees

Temporary Exhibitions

Open Storages

Learn more about the 100-year history of the collection: Why were objects acquired? How were the works reinterpreted as cultural objects, art and historical evidence?

Sounds of the World

When and why do people make music? Get to the heart of the universal language of humanity – with three-dimensional sound installations in the listening room, the phonogram archive and instruments from all over the world.

Family Spaces

Hands-on stations, a specially made boat to climb and explore in the Oceania area, media stations on everyday racism designed especially for children and young people, or computer games on colonial history in the Africa area: the family areas allow young visitors their own access to the objects and their stories.

Art in Architecture and Contemporary Art in the Exhibition Spaces

Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (SMB)