The newest attraction on the Museum Island in the former East Berlin is the Neues Museum, the new home of one of the most astounding artworks I've ever seen. I first saw the bust of the Egyptian queen Nefertiri in its former display on the outskirts of Berlin near the Charlottenburg Palace.
Now the royal beauty has a proper home in the exquisitely restored museum building, which integrates the war-damaged areas with its original intent: displaying the treasures of the middle east that German archaeologists gathered in the 1800s. For me, Nefertiri is right up there with the Mona Lisa in terms of her mysterious and knowing expression. It is like looking into the face of someone who lived 3,000 years ago. Also on view are some of the studies the sculptor made before creating the masterpiece. This version of Nefertiri looks like she might have come from another planet, although the knob on the head is for displaying her headdress in the finished product.
A section from a palace floor revealed a nature scene with an almost impressionist feel, something I didn't expect among the Egyptian hieroglyphs.
With my son Andrew, I also paid a return visit to the Pergamon Museum, housing the sculptures that once adorned an ancient temple. Nearby is a splendid blue tile market gate from what is now Iraq. It is just amazing that Europeans once picked up entire buildings and brought them home in a giant treasure hunt. At least it means that these artworks will be preserved, although not in their native country.
The newest attraction on the Museum Island in the former East Berlin is the Neues Museum, the new home of one of the most astounding artworks I've ever seen. I first saw the bust of the Egyptian queen Nefertiri in its former display on the outskirts of Berlin near the Charlottenburg Palace. 
Now the royal beauty has a proper home in the exquisitely restored museum building, which integrates the war-damaged areas with its original intent: displaying the treasures of the middle east that German archaeologists gathered in the 1800s. For me, Nefertiri is right up there with the Mona Lisa in terms of her mysterious and knowing expression. It is like looking into the face of someone who lived 3,000 years ago. Also on view are some of the studies the sculptor made before creating the masterpiece. This version of Nefertiri looks like she might have come from another planet, although the knob on the head is for displaying her headdress in the finished product.
A section from a palace floor revealed a nature scene with an almost impressionist feel, something I didn't expect among the Egyptian hieroglyphs.
With my son Andrew, I also paid a return visit to the Pergamon Museum, housing the sculptures that once adorned an ancient temple. Nearby is a splendid blue tile market gate from what is now Iraq. It is just amazing that Europeans once picked up entire buildings and brought them home in a giant treasure hunt. At least it means that these artworks will be preserved, although not in their native country. 
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