Humboldt Forum Shops

The Humboldt Forum in Berlin is unique and offers a variety of historical treasures. The Humboldt Forum stores offer a range of great gift ideas that any history buff will love.

The world of the Humboldt Forum for your home,
to give away and enjoy.

Book - The Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace (DE)
Book - The Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace (DE)
Book - The Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace (DE)
Book - The Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace (DE)
Book - The Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace (DE)
Book - The Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace (DE)

Book - The Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace (DE)

Regular price €49,00 Sale price €29,90
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Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

Modern, versatile, discussed:The high-quality, German-language book portrays the creation, construction and visions of the Humboldt Forum. Richly illustrated and with texts by the experts of the four partner institutions, you will gain insights into the young but eventful history of the house.

The debates about the reconstruction, the architecture, the building history, the historical traces from 800 years, the comprehensive cultural, educational and leisure activities and many other topics play a role.

The photographs, illustrations, room plans and sketches make the work a perfect reminder of a visit to the Humboldt Forum. Also as a gift, it increases the anticipation of soon experiencing this special place for yourself.

The book is also available in English.

  • Hardcover with dust jacket
  • Publisher:Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace
  • Publisher:Prestel, 2020
  • 32.5x24.5cm
  • 248 pages with numerous historical illustrations, photographs, graphics, sketches and room plans
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Book - Humboldt Forum. History of the place (DE)
Book - Humboldt Forum. History of the place (DE)
Book - Humboldt Forum. History of the place (DE)
Book - Humboldt Forum. History of the place (DE)
Book - Humboldt Forum. History of the place (DE)
Book - Humboldt Forum. History of the place (DE)

Book - Humboldt Forum. History of the place (DE)

Regular price €15,00
/
Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

From swamp area to cultural hotspot:On more than 1,500 square meters, the four exhibition areas in the Humboldt Forum tell the story of the place, embedded in the history of the city of Berlin.

The compact, German-language exhibition guide provides an overview of selected key topics and shows and explains the highlight objects. In addition to a summary of 800 years of building and political history and illustrations of the historical predecessors, the book accompanying the exhibition takes the reader on a tour of the exhibition areas"History of the Site"and"Traces"as well as the sculpture collection and the castle cellar.

The entertaining reading, written by the curators of the exhibition, is an ideal companion before, during or after the visit.

The book is also available in English.

  • Publisher:Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace
  • Publisher:Prestel, 2020
  • 22 x 12.3 cm
  • 184 pages with numerous historical illustrations, photographs and graphics
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A book to touch, see and hear
A book to touch, see and hear
A book to touch, see and hear
A book to touch, see and hear
A book to touch, see and hear
A book to touch, see and hear
A book to touch, see and hear
A book to touch, see and hear

A book to touch, see and hear

Regular price €24,90
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The Humboldt Forum is both a place of history and research and a place of encounter and inclusion. This inclusively designed book tells the history of the site from the 13th century to the present day with 14 tactile images and texts in large print, Braille and plain language.

What began as a small Dominican monastery has become one of the most important squares in Berlin over the centuries. With the help of your fingertips, your eyes or your ears, you will embark on a special journey through time in eight stages.

An audio version supplements the book and can be accessed here .

The book was created in cooperation with members of the Culture and Leisure Working Group of the Berlin General Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, founded 1874 e. V. emerged.

  • Publisher:Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace, 2020
  • 26.2 x 44.2 cm
  • 64 pages
  • Texts in large print, Braille and plain language
  • 14 illustrations, 6 thermoforming foils and tactile printing
  • tactile map
  • ring binding
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Book - (Post)colonialism and cultural heritage (DE)
Book - (Post)colonialism and cultural heritage (DE)
Book - (Post)colonialism and cultural heritage (DE)
Book - (Post)colonialism and cultural heritage (DE)
Book - (Post)colonialism and cultural heritage (DE)

Book - (Post)colonialism and cultural heritage (DE)

Regular price €18,00
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Dealing with colonial history and (post)colonial continuities is one of the major challenges of the Humboldt Forum. It will decisively shape the work of this cultural institution. In this volume, prominent, globally active museum experts who accompanied the Humboldt Forum in its creation have their say. With their contributions, they take part in international debates, such as the passionate debate about the provenance and restitution of ethnological collections.
With contributions by George Okello Abungu (Nairobi), Kwame Anthony Appiah (New York), Philipp Blom (Vienna), Hartmut Dorgerloh (Berlin), Rita Eder (Mexico City), Hu Wei (Shanghai), Jyotindra Jain (New Delhi), Lars-Christian Koch (Berlin), Lee Chor Lin (Singapore), Neil MacGregor (London), Natalia Majluf (Lima), Wayne Modest (Amsterdam), Nazan Ölçer (Istanbul), Barbara Plankensteiner (Hamburg), Thomas Thiemeyer (Tübingen) , Abdoulaye Toure (Dakar).

 

  • Published by the Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace
  • Hanser Verlag
  • 15x21.5cm
  • 272 pages, bound
  • ISBN:978-3-446-26641-4
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Book - The reconstructed castle. Façade, architecture and sculpture (DE)
Book - The reconstructed castle. Façade, architecture and sculpture (DE)

Book - The reconstructed castle. Façade, architecture and sculpture (DE)

Regular price €19,90
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3,000 figurative sculptures
22,000 sandstone workpieces
750 meters of restored facades
3.5 million bricks

The architecture and sculpture of the masterful facades of Andreas Schlueter and his successor Eosander meet in breathtaking new photographs by Leo Seidel:The resurrected Berlin Palace in the center of Berlin is both a monument to the baroque building and a lively new urban district for culture. With the castle, the urban reference point for the historic center of the city between the boulevard Unter den Linden and the Museum Island returns. The magnificent photographs and the multifaceted texts by authors who, as participants in this major project, look behind the scenes, tell of the diversity and importance of the baroque sandstone facades, their technical and craft reconstruction and the architectural conception of the building.

  • Published by the Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace
  • Text contributions by Hans-Dieter Hegner, Kathrin Lange, Bernd Wolfgang Lindemann, Franco Stella, Peter Stephan, Bernhard Wolter
  • With photographs by Leo Seidel
  • Hirmer publishing house
  • 24 x 30 cm, hard cover
  • 160 pages, 226 color illustrations
  • ISBN:978-3-7774-3762-0
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Book - The Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace
Book - The Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace
Book - The Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace
Book - The Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace
Book - The Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace
Book - The Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace

Book - The Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace

Regular price €49,00 Sale price €29,90
/
Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

Modern, versatile, discussed:The high-quality, English-language book portrays the creation, construction and visions of the Humboldt Forum. Richly illustrated and with texts by the experts of the four partner institutions, you will gain insights into the young but eventful history of the house.

The debates about the reconstruction, the architecture, the building history, the historical traces from 800 years, the comprehensive cultural, educational and leisure activities and many other topics play a role.

The photographs, illustrations, room plans and sketches make the work a perfect reminder of a visit to the Humboldt Forum. Also as a gift, it increases the anticipation of soon experiencing this special place for yourself.

The book is also available in German.

  • Hardcover with dust jacket
  • Publisher:Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace
  • Publisher:Prestel, 2020
  • 32.5x24.5cm
  • 248 pages with numerous historical illustrations, photographs, graphics, sketches and room plans
Cart
Book - (Post)Colonialism and Cultural Heritage
Book - (Post)Colonialism and Cultural Heritage
Book - (Post)Colonialism and Cultural Heritage
Book - (Post)Colonialism and Cultural Heritage
Book - (Post)Colonialism and Cultural Heritage

Book - (Post)Colonialism and Cultural Heritage

Regular price €18,00
/
Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

Addressing colonial history and (post)colonial continuities is a major challenge for the Humboldt Forum, and will decisively shape the activities of this cultural institution. This volume features essays and conversations of prominent museum experts from around the world who have supported and advised the Humboldt Forum in its development. Through their statements, they take part in international discussions such as the intense debate about provenance and restitution of ethnological collections.
Includes contributions from George Okello Abungu (Nairobi), Kwame Anthony Appiah (New York), Philipp Blom (Vienna), Hartmut Dorgerloh (Berlin), Rita Eder (Mexico City), Hu Wei (Shanghai), Jyotindra Jain (New Delhi), Lars-Christian Koch (Berlin), Lee Chor Lin (Singapore), Neil MacGregor (London), Natalia Majluf (Lima), Wayne Modest (Amsterdam), Nazan Ölçer (Istanbul), Barbara Plankensteiner (Hamburg), Thomas Thiemeyer (Tübingen) , and Abdoulaye Toure (Dakar).

  • Published by Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace
  • Hanser Verlag
  • 15 x 21.5 cm, hard cover
  • 248 pages
  • ISBN:978-3-446-26642-1
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Book - The Reconstruction of Berlin Palace. Arcade, Architecture and Sculpture
Book - The Reconstruction of Berlin Palace. Arcade, Architecture and Sculpture

Book - The Reconstruction of Berlin Palace. Arcade, Architecture and Sculpture

Regular price €19,90
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Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

3,000 figurative sculptures and reliefs
22,000 sandstone blocks
750 Meters of Restored Facades
3.5 million bricks

Encounter the architecture and sculptural work of Andreas Schlueter's masterful façades and those of his successor Eosander von Göthe in breath-taking new photographs by Leo Seidel:the restored Berlin Palace in the center of the capital is both a monument to the Baroque building and a vibrant new city complex for culture. With the palace, the urban reference point for the historic center of the city between the boulevard Unter Den Linden and the Spree Island has returned. The magnificent photographs and multifaceted texts by authors who, as participants in this major project, look behind the scenes, tell of the diversity and significance of the Baroque sandstone façades, their technical and handcrafted reconstruction, and the architectural conception of the building.

  • Published by Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace
  • Contributions by Hans-Dieter Hegner, Kathrin Lange, Bernd Wolfgang Lindemann, Franco Stella, Peter Stephan, Bernhard Wolter
  • Photographs by Leo Seidel
  • Hirmer publishing house
  • 24 x 30 cm, hard cover
  • 160 pages, 226 color illustrations
  • ISBN 978-3-7774-3217-5
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Book Ancestors, Goddesses and Heroes
Book Ancestors, Goddesses and Heroes
Book Ancestors, Goddesses and Heroes

Book Ancestors, Goddesses and Heroes

Regular price €22,00
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Ancestors, goddesses and heroes. Sculptures from Asia, Africa and Europe Published by the Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace German and English edition, 96 pages, paperback, 26.5 x 21.5 cm, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 2023, 22 euros Protect, heal or punish – people from different times and backgrounds ascribed these powers to the images that are being presented here together for the first time:45 objects, created between the 4th and 19th centuries, convey living evidence of the ever-present human need for protection and orientation in overcoming individual or societal crises.

They stand for the existence of an invisible world of goddesses and gods, spirits or ancestors who helped to create a tangible connection between this world and an"other reality"and gave inspiration for one's own life.

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Book Naga Land Voices MANGA
Book Naga Land Voices MANGA
Book Naga Land Voices MANGA

Book Naga Land Voices MANGA

Regular price €22,00
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Naga country. Voices from Northeast India Published by the Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace German and English edition, 96 pages, paperback, 26.5 x 21.5 cm, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 2023, EUR 22 The Naga form a minority in Northeast India and in north-west Myanmar - and at the same time consist of over thirty different ethnic groups, that is three to four million people with numerous languages.

How do they manage to preserve their traditional traditions and integrate them into today's changed lifestyles - with modern tattoos, fashion and social media? Authors from Nagaland describe different facets of their current and past culture and shed a new light on the Naga collection of the Ethnological Museum in Berlin, which has been supplemented with contemporary objects.

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Book - Humboldt Forum. History of the Site
Book - Humboldt Forum. History of the Site
Book - Humboldt Forum. History of the Site
Book - Humboldt Forum. History of the Site
Book - Humboldt Forum. History of the Site
Book - Humboldt Forum. History of the Site

Book - Humboldt Forum. History of the Site

Regular price €15,00
/
Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

From swamp area to cultural hotspot:On more than 1,500 square meters, the four exhibition areas in the Humboldt Forum tell the story of the place, embedded in the history of the city of Berlin.

The compact, English-language exhibition guide provides an overview of selected key topics and shows and explains the highlight objects. In addition to a summary of 800 years of building and political history and illustrations of the historical predecessors, the book accompanying the exhibition takes the reader on a tour of the exhibition areas"History of the Site"and"Traces"as well as the sculpture collection and the castle cellar.

The entertaining reading, written by the curators of the exhibition, is an ideal companion before, during or after the visit.

The book is also available in German.

  • Publisher:Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace
  • Publisher:Prestel, 2020
  • 22 x 12.3 cm
  • 184 pages with numerous historical illustrations, photographs and graphics
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Book Against the Current Omaha EN
Book Against the Current Omaha EN
Book Against the Current Omaha EN

Book Against the Current Omaha EN

Regular price €22,00
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Against the Current. The Omaha, Francis La Flesche, and his Collection Published by the Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss English edition, 128 pages, softcover, 26.5 x 21.5 cm, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 2023, 22.- Euro The collections of the Ethnological Museum in Berlin house around sixty objects from the Omaha of North America that were assembled by the indigenous ethnologist Francis La Flesche around 1895 on behalf of the Royal Museum of Ethnology. It was a time of upheaval, when the lives of the Omaha were marked by loss of land, racism, and violence.

The effects can still be felt today. This book offers insight into the life and work of La Flesche and the process of organizing the exhibition Against the Current. The catalog of objects written by Francis La Flesche is being published here for the first time.

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Book Against the Current Omaha EN
Book Against the Current Omaha EN
Book Against the Current Omaha EN

Book Against the Current Omaha EN

Regular price €22,00
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Ancestors, goddesses and heroes. Sculptures from Asia, Africa and Europe Published by the Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace German and English edition, 96 pages, paperback, 26.5 x 21.5 cm, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 2023, 22 euros Protect, heal or punish – people from different times and backgrounds ascribed these powers to the images that are being presented here together for the first time:45 objects, created between the 4th and 19th centuries, convey living evidence of the ever-present human need for protection and orientation in overcoming individual or societal crises.

They stand for the existence of an invisible world of goddesses and gods, spirits or ancestors who helped to create a tangible connection between this world and an"other reality"and gave inspiration for one's own life.

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Book - Contemporary Art in the Humboldt Forum
Book - Contemporary Art in the Humboldt Forum

Book - Contemporary Art in the Humboldt Forum

Regular price €34,00
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A Japanese tea house, a sound installation with Nigerian sounds, a two-part bronze flagpole:numerous works of contemporary art, some of which are expansive, can be discovered on the vast areas of Berlin's Humboldt Forum. In the exhibitions of the Ethnological Museum, the Museum of Asian Art and the State of Berlin, works by artists from different communities enrich the collections. In addition, seven works of art were realized in the Humboldt Forum, which deal with the history of the place, with the Humboldt Forum as a"place in the world", encounter and exchange or the namesake, the brothers Wilhelm and Alexander von Humboldt, appreciate. This book presents selected works of art in informative and associative texts as well as impressive photographs and thus offers completely new insights into the many-voiced cultural location Humboldt Forum.

Product data:

hardcover

German and English edition

192 pages, 28 x 24 cm

German art publisher

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Rawi Hage: The Call

Rawi Hage: The Call

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Objects talk back

After one of the Turfan archaeological expeditions in the early 1900s, a fragment of a Manichaean text written in Uyghur and Old Turkic found its way to the Museum für Asiatische Kunst of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Originating from the Northern Silk Road region (now the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China), these “loose leaves” became a source of inspiration for Rawi Hage: “I was born near Byblos in Lebanon. The ancient city of Byblos is believed to be the place where the first alphabet was invented.” Encountering this rare and precious manuscript, with its layered and multicolour words, Hage reflects on the movement, uprooting, displacement  and migration of both objects and people.

Series Objects talk back published by Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss.

Rawi Hage was born in Beirut and survived the Lebanese Civil War of the 1970s and 1980s. He emigrated to New York and later to Montreal, where he established himself as a photographer and writer, exploring themes such as homelessness, exile, and the consequences of war. His novels have been honored with internationally renowned literary awards and translated into thirty languages.

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Madeleine Thien: The Artisans

Madeleine Thien: The Artisans

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Objects talk back

Canadian writer Madeleine Thien reflects on a fragment of a mural depicting Three Uyghur Princes from one of the Bezeklik Caves along the Northern Silk Road, in what is now the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. This most renowned donor portrait of Uyghur-Buddhist art was brought to the Berlin museums following the Second German Turfan Expedition (1904–5). Thien responds to its vibrant colours and expressive lines with a literary text, transporting us into the daily lives of the painters who adorned the caves with strikingly lifelike murals in the tenth century. She asks: Is there an autonomous republic of art that transcends time and place?

Series Objects talk back published by Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss.

Madeleine Thien was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her diverse body of work includes novels, short stories, a children’s book, as well as numerous essays. Central to her writing is the question of how, against the backdrop of migration, trauma, and the search for identity and belonging, personal and collective history can be retold. Her work has been translated into more than 25 languages and has won Canada’s most prestigious literary awards as well as numerous other prizes. Madeleine Thien lives in Montreal, Canada.

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Meena Kandasamy: A Wise One, a Warrior

Meena Kandasamy: A Wise One, a Warrior

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Objects talk back

Meena Kandasamy contemplates the Mithuna couple, a 17th century ivory sculpture from Tamil Nadu, India. Starting from this depiction of lovers, the author unfolds a multilayered narrative that moves in several directions through images, questions, and contradictions.

"How can we look at this piece without talking about who created it?" she asks, examining how caste and class are as indelibly etched into the object as its physical details. This awareness complicates the seemingly straightforward associations of "love" that the sculpture might evoke. Meena Kandasamy refuses to idealise or exoticise the carving, instead linking it to personal and political narratives: Who is allowed to love whom? She contrasts the intimate with the institutional in order to challenge concepts such as decolonisation, restitution, and preservation. Through a striking blend of styles - Twitter, academic discourse, poetry, memoir - she engages in a dialogue with the object: forwards, sideways, backwards.

Part of the series Objects talk back, published by the Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace.

Meena Kandasamy is a poet, novelist and translator. Her work focuses on the militant resistance against caste, gender, and ethnic oppressions. She explores this in her books of poems such as Touch (2006) and Ms. Militancy (2010), as well as her three novels, The Gypsy Goddess (2014), When I Hit You (2017), and Exquisite Cadavers (2019). Her novels have been shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the International Dylan Thomas Prize, the Jhalak Prize and the Hindu Lit Prize. The Book of Desire, her translation of the love poetry of the 2000-year-old Tamil classic Tirukkural was published in 2023.

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Leonora Miano: Ladies of the Throne

Leonora Miano: Ladies of the Throne

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Objects talk back

“Most of the time, it is the power of men that we remember.” With these words, which open Léonora Miano’s text for Objects Talk Back, an astonishing new narrative unfurls around Mandu Yenu, a throne from the ancient Kingdom of Bamum (present day Cameroon). 

The Germans long claimed the object was a gift from King Njoya to Kaiser Wilhelm II. Miano reads “between the lines of beads and cowrie shells” to show the complex intricacies of colonial and gender relations. Dismissing all pretense of egalitarianism between colonizer and colonized, she hones in on the very nature of power—how and by whom it is defined-wielded-subverted. 

King Njoya said he “felt like a woman in his relationship with the Germans.” Miano takes this as a prompt to examine contrasting cultural notions of femininity and thus reveals how central women are to the story of the throne. As the very name of the object suggests, it is the power of women we should remember.

Series Objects talk back published by Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss.

Born in Cameroon, Léonora Miano lives and writes between continents: in her country of origin, France, and in Togo. Her novels, plays and essays have won numerous awards. Most recently, her celebrated work Season of the Shadow was published in English by Seagul Press.

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Leonora Miano: Damen auf dem Thron

Leonora Miano: Damen auf dem Thron

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Objekte widersprechen

»Meist ist es die Macht von Männern, an die erinnert wird.« Mit diesen Worten eröffnet Léonora Miano ihre Erzählung um Mandu Yenu, einen Thron aus dem alten Königreich Bamum (heute Kamerun). Lange war das Objekt als »Geschenk« von König Njoya an Kaiser Wilhelm II. bezeichnet worden. Miano zeigt »zwischen den Zeilen von Perlen und Kaurimuscheln« die komplexen Verwicklungen von Kolonial- und Geschlechterbeziehungen auf. König Njoya sagte, er fühle sich »in den Beziehungen zu den Deutschen wie eine Frau«. Davon ausgehend untersucht Miano die unterschiedlichen kulturellen Vorstellungen von Weiblichkeit und die zentrale Rolle der Frauen für die Geschichte des Throns. Schon der Name des Objekts bezeugt:
Es ist die Macht der Frauen, an die wir uns ­erinnern sollten.

In der Reihe Objekte widersprechen, herausgegeben von der Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss.

Geboren in Kamerun, lebt und schreibt Léonora Miano zwischen den Kontinenten: in ihrem Herkunftsland Frankreich und in Togo. Ihre Romane, Theaterstücke und Essays wurden mit zahlreichen Preisen ausgezeichnet. Zuletzt erschien auf Deutsch im Aufbau Verlag ihr gefeiertes Werk Sisterhood – ein leidenschaftliches Plädoyer für eine neue weltweite Solidarität unter Frauen und eine faszinierende Reise zu den Ursprüngen eines anderen Feminismus.

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Book Andestor&
Book Andestor&
Book Andestor&

Book Andestor's Godesses and Heroes EN

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Ancestors, Goddesses and Heroes. Sculptures from Asia, Africa and Europe Published by the Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss English edition, 96 pages, softcover, 26.5 x 21.5 cm, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 2023, 22.- Euro To protect, heal or punish – These are the powers that peoples of radically different ages and places of origin ascribed to the images that are here presented alongside each other for the very first time.

The forty-five objects created between the fourth and nineteenth centuries are a vital attestation of the ever-present need for protection and orientation in times of crisis, whether at the personal or the social level. They stand for the existence of an invisible world of gods, spirits and ancestors that helped forge a palpable link between the here and now and a different reality as well as providing inspiration for the life of each and every individual.

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Maaza Mengiste: Von allgemeinem Interesse

Maaza Mengiste: Von allgemeinem Interesse

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Objekte widersprechen

Über einen Krönungsmantel aus Äthiopien

Der britische Äthiopienfeldzug 1868 und das Niederbrennen der Bergfestung Magdala haben die äthiopische Schriftstellerin und Fotografin Maaza Mengiste zu ihrer Erzählung Von allgemeinem Interesse inspiriert. Mengiste, die derzeit in New York lebt, denkt über die Reise eines kunstvoll gefertigten königlichen Umhangs aus Äthiopien nach. Es ist ein Weg aus den Wirren der Schlacht, durch Feuer, ein Weg über die Berge, über das Wasser – bis nach Berlin. Mengistes Werk holt Stimmen und Geschichten ans Licht, die bisher ausgeklammert wurden, Leerstellen, die unerklärlich scheinen, Bilder, Gegenstände und Orte, die von einer unbewältigten Vergangenheit durchzogen sind.

In der Reihe Objekte widersprechen, herausgegeben von der Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss.

Maaza Mengiste ist Romanautorin, Essayistin und Fotografin. Ihr Debüt Unter den Augen des Löwen wurde vom Guardian zu einem der zehn besten zeitgenössischen afrikanischen Bücher gewählt. Ihr Roman Der Schattenkönig stand 2020 auf der Shortlist für den Booker Prize. Mengiste ist Gründerin von Project3541, eines kollektiven Erinnerungsprojekts über den Italienisch-Äthiopischen Krieg 1935–1941, das die statische Natur eines Archivs überwinden möchte.

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Maaza Mengiste: Of Interest to the General Public

Maaza Mengiste: Of Interest to the General Public

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Objects talk back

About a Coronation Cloak from Ethiopia

Inspired by the history of the 1868 Napier expedition and the burning of the palace fortress at Magdala, Of Interest to the General Public is a ­narration by the Ethiopian writer and photographer Maaza Mengiste. She combines photographs and text to re-imagine the journey of the stunning and elaborately made royal cloak from Ethiopia – out of battle, through fire, over mountains to cross the waters into Berlin, Germany.

The œuvre of Maaza Mengiste, who currently lives in New York, is composed from voices and stories that have been excluded, from gaps that seem inexplicable, from images, objects and places that pulse with pasts unresolved.

Series Objects talk back published by Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss.

Maaza Mengiste is a novelist, essayist, and photographer. Her debut novel Beneath the Lion’s Gaze was named by The Guardian as one of the ten best contemporary African books. Her novel The Shadow King was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2020. Mengiste is the founder of Project3541, a collective memory project about the Italian Ethiopian War of 1935–1941 that seeks to move beyond the static nature of an archive.

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Whiti Hereaka: He Heru A Comb

Whiti Hereaka: He Heru A Comb

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Objects talk back

An Ornament for the Most Sacred Part of the Body

From a seemingly simple comb, the award-winning novelist and playwright Whiti Hereaka creates a mirror work of reverence and beauty. It is a text in nine sections, “a part for each tooth, and a part for each space between them”. The parts tell stories of love, loss, longing, including tales of whales from whose bones objects were made, of a carver creating a comb, of Māori gods and the power of women, of colonial whalers fishing their prey almost to extinction in the South Pacific, of a writer who cuts her hair and moves across worlds weaving connections.

In her text Whiti Hereaka unfurls a stunning cosmology around the heru, combing with it through time and space to make "stories of ocean blue, blood red, bone white", thus shattering the silence left by the museum description "Zugang ungeklärt" (access unclear).

Series Objects talk back published by Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss.

Whiti Hereaka is a novelist and playwright of Māori and Pākehā descent. Her iwi affiliations are Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue, Tuhourangi, Ngāti Tumatawera, and Tainui. She lives in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand, and is the author of four novels: The Graphologist’s Apprentice, Bugs, Legacy, and Kurangaituku. Together with Witi Ihimaera, Hereaka edited an anthology of Māori myths—Pūrākau—in 2019. Her most recent work, You Are Here, was created in collaboration with artist Peata Larkin and was published in 2025 by Massey University Press as part of the Kōrero series.

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Rawi Hage: Der Ruf

Rawi Hage: Der Ruf

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Objekte widersprechen

Durch eine der Turfan-­ Ausgrabungsexpeditionen kam nach 1900 das Fragment einer in Uigur und Alttürkisch verfassten manichäischen Schrift ins Museum für Asiatische Kunst nach Berlin. Sie stammt aus der Region der Nördlichen Seidenstraße, der heutigen autonomen Region Xinjiang-Uigur in China. Diese »losen Blätter« haben Rawi Hage inspiriert: »Ich wurde unweit von Byblos im Libanon geboren. Das antike Byblos hält man für jenen Ort, an dem das erste Alphabet erfunden wurde.« Die Begegnung mit dem seltenen und kostbaren Manuskript, seinen vielschichtigen und vielfarbigen Wörtern, lässt Hage über die Bewegung, Entwurzelung, Verschleppung und Migration von Objekten und Menschen nachdenken.

In der Reihe Objekte widersprechen, herausgegeben von der Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss.

Rawi Hage ist in Beirut geboren und überlebte den libanesischen Bürgerkrieg der 1970er und 1980er Jahre. Er emigrierte nach New York und später nach Montreal, wo er sich als Fotograf und Schriftsteller mit Themen wie Heimatlosigkeit, Exil und Kriegsfolgen auseinandersetzt. Seine Romane wurden mit international renommierten Literaturpreisen gewürdigt und in dreißig Sprachen übersetzt.

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Exhibition catalogs & books

Beziehungsweise Familie. Globale Geschichten von Bindung, Bruch und Zugehörigkeit

Beziehungsweise Familie. Globale Geschichten von Bindung, Bruch und Zugehörigkeit

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Familie. Jede*r hat sie und jede*r anders. Dieses un-
konventionelle Buch bricht mit gängigen Vorstellungen
einer traditionellen »Kernfamilie« und versammelt
Stimmen aus aller Welt in unterschiedlichen Moment-
aufnahmen. Wer gehört zur Familie, welche wirt-
schaftliche und gesellschaftliche Funktion übernimmt
sie, was prägt Familie und wie prägt sie uns? Zentrale
Themen lokaler Debatten rund um den Globus führen
uns vor Augen, wie komplex und verschieden, aber
auch wie ähnlich Familienbilder über die Kulturen
hinweg sind. Eine Einladung, auch über das eigene
Familienbild nachzudenken.

 

Hardcover, 296 Seiten

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Family Matters. Global Stories about Affiliation, Disruption, and Belonging

Family Matters. Global Stories about Affiliation, Disruption, and Belonging

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Family. Everyone has one, and each one is different.
This unconventional book challenges traditional
notions of the nuclear family by presenting voices
from around the world in a series of “snapshots.”
It asks: Who belongs to the family?

What economic and social functions does the family fulfill?

What shapes the family, and how does it shape us?

Key questions being discussed in local settings around the
globe demonstrate how complex and diverse - but
also how similar - the idea of the family is across
cultures. This is an invitation to reflect on one’s own
concept of family.

 

Hardcover, 296 pages

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Blown away. The Palace of the Republic

Blown away. The Palace of the Republic

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FAMED AND DEFAMED, REMOVED AND REMEMBERED

The Palace of the Republic was the building that most exemplified political power in East Germany. Built from 1973 to 1976 in the middle of Berlin, the state and cultural

centre was the seat of the Volkskammer (parliament) as well as a meeting place with event and gallery spaces, restaurants, a theatre, discotheque, and bowling alley.

The first freely elected Volkskammer convened there in March of 1990. Shortly thereafter, the building was closed because of asbestos contamination. In the

early 2000s, the shell was successfully used for cultural purposes but demolished nonetheless not much later. Today, the Humboldt Forum stands in its place. Yet the

palace remains present in many people’s memories.

 

This volume explores aspects such as closeout sales, construction site, ghosts, Glass Flower, Global South, identity, interim use, lighting system, Marx & Engels,

palaces of culture, reconstruction, Stasi, and more. Recent research, artistic contributions, and personal interviews open new perspectives. The Palace of the

Republic thereby emerges as an all-German topic.

https://www.yumpu.com/de/document/view/68688830/hin-und-weg-der-palast-der-republik-ist-gegenwart

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Hin und weg. Der Palast der Republik ist Gegenwart DE

Hin und weg. Der Palast der Republik ist Gegenwart DE

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Die Publikation „Hin und weg. Der Palast der Republik ist Gegenwart“ betrachtet den Palast der Republik als gesamtdeutsches Thema. Von der Architektur über die Baugeschichte bis hin zu künstlerischen Positionen und Forschungsarbeiten bietet dieses Buch eine umfassende Untersuchung des Palastes.

Das Buch sammelt eine Vielzahl von Perspektiven unterschiedlicher Menschen, die direkt oder indirekt mit dem Palast verbunden waren, und ermöglicht es so, dessen Geschichte aus verschiedenen Blickwinkeln zu betrachten. Es enthält Beiträge  renommierter Autor*innen wie Victoria Helene Bergemann, Aron Boks und Gesine Danckwart sowie Wissenschaftler*innen wie Hanno Hochmuth und Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk. Diese Mischung aus persönlichen Erzählungen und wissenschaftlichen Essays eröffnet neue Diskurse und macht das Thema für ein breites Publikum zugänglich.
https://www.yumpu.com/de/document/view/68688830/hin-und-weg-der-palast-der-republik-ist-gegenwart
Ergänzt werden die Texte durch eindrucksvolle Fotoarbeiten unter anderem von Tobias Kruse und Nikolaus Becker sowie innovative Grafiken von Johanna Benz und Tiziana Beck  (graphicrecording.cool), die das visuelle Erlebnis des Buches bereichern.

Dieses Buch ist ein unverzichtbarer Bestandteil jeder Sammlung zur Geschichte und Architektur der DDR.

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Book Naga Land Voices MANGA
Book Naga Land Voices MANGA
Book Naga Land Voices MANGA

Book Naga Land Voices MANGA

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Naga country. Voices from Northeast India Published by the Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace German and English edition, 96 pages, paperback, 26.5 x 21.5 cm, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 2023, EUR 22 The Naga form a minority in Northeast India and in north-west Myanmar - and at the same time consist of over thirty different ethnic groups, that is three to four million people with numerous languages.

How do they manage to preserve their traditional traditions and integrate them into today's changed lifestyles - with modern tattoos, fashion and social media? Authors from Nagaland describe different facets of their current and past culture and shed a new light on the Naga collection of the Ethnological Museum in Berlin, which has been supplemented with contemporary objects.

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Book Naga Land Voices EN
Book Naga Land Voices EN
Book Naga Land Voices EN

Book Naga Land Voices EN

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Naga country. Voices from North-East India Published by the Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss English edition, 96 pages, softcover, 26.5 x 21.5 cm, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 2023, 22.- Euro The Naga represent a minority in north- eastern India and north-western Myanmar – yet comprise more than thirty ethnic groups with an overall population of three to four million speaking numerous languages. How have the Naga managed to preserve their traditions and customs and integrate them in today's lifestyle changes - with modern tattoos, fashion and social media?

Describing facets of their culture as it is lived today and relating them to the past, writers from Nagaland make the collection of Naga artefacts at the Ethnological Museum in Berlin, now supplemented by contemporary exhibits, appear in a new light.

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Book Against the Current Omaha EN
Book Against the Current Omaha EN
Book Against the Current Omaha EN

Book Against the Current Omaha EN

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Against the Current. The Omaha, Francis La Flesche, and his Collection Published by the Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss English edition, 128 pages, softcover, 26.5 x 21.5 cm, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 2023, 22.- Euro The collections of the Ethnological Museum in Berlin house around sixty objects from the Omaha of North America that were assembled by the indigenous ethnologist Francis La Flesche around 1895 on behalf of the Royal Museum of Ethnology. It was a time of upheaval, when the lives of the Omaha were marked by loss of land, racism, and violence.

The effects can still be felt today. This book offers insight into the life and work of La Flesche and the process of organizing the exhibition Against the Current. The catalog of objects written by Francis La Flesche is being published here for the first time.

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Book Against the Current Omaha EN
Book Against the Current Omaha EN
Book Against the Current Omaha EN

Book Against the Current Omaha EN

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Ancestors, goddesses and heroes. Sculptures from Asia, Africa and Europe Published by the Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace German and English edition, 96 pages, paperback, 26.5 x 21.5 cm, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 2023, 22 euros Protect, heal or punish – people from different times and backgrounds ascribed these powers to the images that are being presented here together for the first time:45 objects, created between the 4th and 19th centuries, convey living evidence of the ever-present human need for protection and orientation in overcoming individual or societal crises.

They stand for the existence of an invisible world of goddesses and gods, spirits or ancestors who helped to create a tangible connection between this world and an"other reality"and gave inspiration for one's own life.

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Book Ancestors, Goddesses and Heroes
Book Ancestors, Goddesses and Heroes
Book Ancestors, Goddesses and Heroes

Book Ancestors, Goddesses and Heroes

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Ancestors, goddesses and heroes. Sculptures from Asia, Africa and Europe Published by the Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace German and English edition, 96 pages, paperback, 26.5 x 21.5 cm, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 2023, 22 euros Protect, heal or punish – people from different times and backgrounds ascribed these powers to the images that are being presented here together for the first time:45 objects, created between the 4th and 19th centuries, convey living evidence of the ever-present human need for protection and orientation in overcoming individual or societal crises.

They stand for the existence of an invisible world of goddesses and gods, spirits or ancestors who helped to create a tangible connection between this world and an"other reality"and gave inspiration for one's own life.

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Book Andestor&
Book Andestor&
Book Andestor&

Book Andestor's Godesses and Heroes EN

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Ancestors, Goddesses and Heroes. Sculptures from Asia, Africa and Europe Published by the Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss English edition, 96 pages, softcover, 26.5 x 21.5 cm, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 2023, 22.- Euro To protect, heal or punish – These are the powers that peoples of radically different ages and places of origin ascribed to the images that are here presented alongside each other for the very first time.

The forty-five objects created between the fourth and nineteenth centuries are a vital attestation of the ever-present need for protection and orientation in times of crisis, whether at the personal or the social level. They stand for the existence of an invisible world of gods, spirits and ancestors that helped forge a palpable link between the here and now and a different reality as well as providing inspiration for the life of each and every individual.

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Book - Humboldt Forum the Humboldt Brother - Stories from the Present
Book - Humboldt Forum the Humboldt Brother - Stories from the Present
Book - Humboldt Forum the Humboldt Brother - Stories from the Present

Book - Humboldt Forum the Humboldt Brother - Stories from the Present

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What the Humboldt Brothers have to do with the Humboldt Forum.

Alexander and Wilhelm von Humboldt are the namesakes of the Humboldt Forum. Their biographies, works, points of view, as well as the circumstances in which they lived build a compelling relationship with the Humboldt Forum - starting with the brothers' early lives, growing up near the palace and the royal family. Their later travels, Alexander's nature studies, and Wilhelm's language studies not only illuminate the"interconnected system of nature and culture", they often prove to be astonishingly relevant:What does language mean for living together in a society? In what ways do we acquire knowledge and what responsibilities come with this knowledge? How do we address the colonial contexts of the past as well as of the present?

The Humboldt brothers' insights about the interconnected world, the spirit of their research, their curiosity and their cosmopolitanism inspire the Humboldt Forum's artistic and scientific programme. This book connects the works of the brothers with the cultural institution named after them - and dares to take a new look at these two famous scholars' wide-ranging cosmos of ideas through text and image.

Prestel Verlag, 2022, English edition, paperback, brochure with flaps, 128 pages, 12 x 22 cm, 60 color illustrations, ISBN EN 978-3-7913-7955-5

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Book - Humboldt Forum the Humboldt Brothers - Stories from the present
Book - Humboldt Forum the Humboldt Brothers - Stories from the present
Book - Humboldt Forum the Humboldt Brothers - Stories from the present

Book - Humboldt Forum the Humboldt Brothers - Stories from the present

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What the Humboldt brothers have to do with the Humboldt Forum. Alexander and Wilhelm von Humboldt gave the Humboldt Forum its name.

The brothers' biographies, their works and views, but also the circumstances in which they moved, create a tense relationship to the Humboldt Forum - beginning with their growing up together near the palace and the royal family.

Her later travels, Alexander's nature and Wilhelm's language studies illuminate the"intertwined system of nature and culture"and often prove to be incredibly topical:What does language mean for living together in the community? In what ways do we acquire knowledge, and what responsibility does this knowledge entail? How do we deal with colonial conditions in the past and present? The knowledge of the Humboldt brothers about the networked world, their spirit of research, their curiosity and cosmopolitanism inspire the artistic and scientific program of the Humboldt Forum.

This book connects the work of the brothers with the cultural site named after them - and dares a new look at the wide-ranging cosmos of thought of the two famous scholars in texts and pictures.

Prestel Verlag, 2022, German and English edition, paperback, brochure with flaps, 128 pages, 12 x 22 cm, 60 color illustrations, ISBN DE 978-3-7913-7954-8

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Book - Songlines Seven Sisters Create Australia Exhibition Catalogue
Book - Songlines Seven Sisters Create Australia Exhibition Catalogue
Book - Songlines Seven Sisters Create Australia Exhibition Catalogue
Book - Songlines Seven Sisters Create Australia Exhibition Catalogue
Book - Songlines Seven Sisters Create Australia Exhibition Catalogue

Book - Songlines Seven Sisters Create Australia Exhibition Catalogue

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Published by the Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace.


The successful exhibition from Canberra is coming to Berlin:Discover the origin of Australia first-hand based on one of its central creation stories! Conceived and realized by an Indigenous Board of Trustees in cooperation with the National Museum of Australia and the Australian University, the volume takes us into the impressive world of songlines. Songlines are cultural routes that criss-cross Australia. In stories, songs, ceremonies or rock paintings they tell of the legend of the seven sisters who created the country on their journey. They are reflected in the landscape and star constellations and are carriers of knowledge of indigenous culture that is essential for survival. Using the example of the songlines of the Seven Sisters, the richly illustrated volume tells a lively story about the rules of coexistence, the mapping of the rights of Indigenous Australians and the responsibility for their country.

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Book - Terrible beauty. Elephant human ivory
Book - Terrible beauty. Elephant human ivory
Book - Terrible beauty. Elephant human ivory
Book - Terrible beauty. Elephant human ivory
Book - Terrible beauty. Elephant human ivory

Book - Terrible beauty. Elephant human ivory

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Ivory fascinates. As long as 40,000 years ago people carved mammoth tusks into artful figures and musical instruments, and it remains popular as a material to this day.

Ivory polarises. Severed elephant tusks represent both injustice and violence. The exploitation of man and nature, the imminent extinction of the elephant, as well as poaching and organized crime are all phenomena which we associate with the use of ivory today.

The publication approaches the subject critically and poses questions about our responsibility in our dealings with both animal and material.

  • Published by Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace
  • Hirmer publishing house
  • 21.5 x 26.5 cm, hardcover
  • 200 pages, 180 illustrations
  • ISBN:978-3-7774-3363-9
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Book - Terribly beautiful. Elephant Human Ivory (DE)
Book - Terribly beautiful. Elephant Human Ivory (DE)
Book - Terribly beautiful. Elephant Human Ivory (DE)
Book - Terribly beautiful. Elephant Human Ivory (DE)
Book - Terribly beautiful. Elephant Human Ivory (DE)

Book - Terribly beautiful. Elephant Human Ivory (DE)

Regular price €29,90 Sale price €9,90
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Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

Fascinated by ivory. Humans used mammoth tusks to create elaborate figurines and musical instruments as early as 40,000 years ago, and the material continues to be popular today.

Ivory polarized. Because today the tusks of the elephants stand for injustice and violence at the same time:the exploitation of people and nature, the threatened extinction of elephants, illegal hunting and organized crime are phenomena that are associated with the use of ivory. The volume takes a critical approach to the subject and poses the question of our responsibility in dealing with animals and materials.

  • Published by the Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace
  • Hirmer publishing house
  • 21.5 x 26.5 cm, hard cover
  • 200 pages, 180 illustrations
  • ISBN:978-3-7774-3362-2
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special place of the past, present and future.
Browse through the wide range and discover the Humboldt Forum.