Rembrandt `91

In 1991, both halves of the Staatliche Museen – not yet officially reunited at the time – held the exhibition Rembrandt – The Master and His Workshop. Originally planned for the Martin Gropius Bau, with the fall of the Wall, a snap decision was made to use the Altes Museum overlooking the Lustgarten as the new exhibition location. The project benefitted from the unique energy sparked by the fall of the Wall. It gave audiences a foretaste of what could be achieved by the reunification of the museums. Behind the scenes, there was also collaboration of unprecedented productivity, before the harsh reality of reunification caught up with the staff over the coming years. It quickly became clear that the merging of the two institutions and the rolling back of double structures would also mean staff cuts.