Exhibition dates: 18th July, 2025 – 18th January, 2026
André Kirchner (German, b. 1958)
Stralauer Straße, Ecke Waisenstraße
From the series Nachtrag Berlin 1990-1992
Silver bromide baryta paper
34cm x 46cm
Collection of the Berlin City Museum Foundation
© André Kirchner
Reproduction: Dorin Alexandru Ionita, Berlin
This is one of those wonderful, idiosyncratic exhibitions that Art Blart has always liked to promote: small, occluded histories that have great importance to local people; spaces and histories that deserve to be acknowledged in a wider sphere; microcosms of everyday life, work and encounters expanded into the macrocosm of the universe, making us aware of the importance of the seemingly in/consequential in this dance of death we call life.
“This exhibition delves into how these spaces have fostered social and cultural exchange since the 19th century, becoming living capsules of history and community. They reflect the complexities of urban life, showcasing how people shape their surroundings and creating a unique atmosphere that has long inspired artists.” (Press release)
Dr Marcus Bunyan
Many thankx to the Museum Ephraim-Palais for allowing me to publish the photographs in the posting. Please click on the photographs for a larger version of the image.
Hans Baluschek (German, 1870-1935)
Fleisch am Knochen (Meat on the Bone)
Berlin, 1924
Pen and black ink on paper
27.7cm x 35.2cm
Collection of the Berlin City Museum Foundation
Reproduction: Michael Setzpfandt, Berlin
Heinrich Zille (German, 1858-1929)
“Eine kleine Freundin hat doch jedermann, eine kleine Freundin braucht man dann und wann…” (“Everyone has a little friend, and one needs a little friend now and then…”)
Berlin, 1924
Lithograph on laid paper
45.5cm x 36.8cm
Collection of the Berlin City Museum Foundation
Mathèos Florakis (Greek, b. 1935)
Naunynstraße, Hinterhof
1979
Coloured lithograph on paper
59cm x 42cm
© MathËos Florakis – Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin
Reproduction: Michael Setzpfandt Berlin
Manfred Butzmann (German, b. 1942)
Giebelwand (Chausseestraße 16) (Gable wall (Chausseestraße 16))
1988
Watercolour on laid paper
49.8cm x 34cm
© VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
Reproduction: Michael Setzpfandt, Berlin
Doris Leue (German, b. 1954)
Hirschhof
Berlin, 1999
Pen and ink on paper
29.5cm x 42cm
Purchased with funds from the German Class Lottery Berlin by the Cultural Administration of the Berlin Senate, 2024
© Doris Leue
Reproduction: Michael Setzpfandt, Berlin
Ever wondered about the secret lives tucked away behind Berlin’s bustling streets?
The Museum Ephraim-Palais is inviting you on a captivating journey with its new exhibition, “Berlin Courtyards: Between Everyday Life, Work, and Encounters,” running from July 18, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
From cozy residential nooks to bustling commercial hubs and serene artist retreats, Berlin’s courtyards tell the vibrant story of a city constantly evolving. This exhibition delves into how these spaces have fostered social and cultural exchange since the 19th century, becoming living capsules of history and community. They reflect the complexities of urban life, showcasing how people shape their surroundings and creating a unique atmosphere that has long inspired artists.
“Berlin Courtyards” brings together nearly 100 striking photographs and graphics from the vast collection of the Stadtmuseum Berlin. Visitors will discover gems from legendary artists like Heinrich Zille, Hans Baluschek, and Manfred Hamm, alongside contemporary perspectives from photographers like André Kirchner and Günther Steffen.
Adding a fresh layer to the historical narrative are new artistic works by urban researchers Duygu Örs and Sinthujan Varatharajah, specially commissioned for the show. Their multi-sensory exploration of Wedding’s backyards, using texts, photos, videos, and sound, offers an intimate look at these overlooked spaces.
What’s more, the exhibition features a dynamic display of modern-day Berlin courtyards, crowdsourced through the Stadtmuseum Berlin’s “Berlin now!” photo campaign. You’ll see 40 framed photos on the walls, plus 50 smaller photo cards that visitors can rearrange, literally co-creating the exhibition experience. Due to overwhelming interest, the “Berlin now!” photo call has been extended until September 18, giving photography enthusiasts more time to submit their own unique views of Berlin’s courtyards. Selected photos will even be rotated into the framed display in October!
Adding another exciting dimension, junior curators from the Refik-Veseli School in Kreuzberg, mentored by Yella Hoepfner, will share their own “courtyard stories” across five dedicated areas within the Museum Ephraim-Palais, including spaces within the “BerlinZEIT” permanent exhibition. Their personal narratives will engage in a dialogue with objects from the Stadtmuseum Berlin’s collection, offering fresh, youthful insights.
Don’t miss this chance to experience Berlin from a new perspective, delving into the hidden heart of its neighborhoods through the eyes of both historical and contemporary artists.
Press release from Museum Ephraim-Palais
Rudolf Dührkoop (German, 1848-1918)
From the portfolio Das malerische Berlin, Band 1 (Picturesque Berlin, Volume 1)
1911
Ludwig Binder (German born Serbia, 1928-1980)
Hofeinfahrt Kottbusser Straße 6 (Courtyard entrance at Kottbusser Straße 6)
c. 1976
Ludwig Binder’s Photographic Estate – Positives – 43 images titled Ausländer-Läden-Kino
Photograph
24cm x 18.2cm
© Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin, Ludwig Binder
Manfred Hamm (German, b. 1944)
Goerz’sche Höfe, Rheinstraße
Berlin, 1978
Photograph, baryta paper
22cm x 28.1cm
© Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin
Reinhard Münch (German, b. 1951)
From the series Das Haus Dunckerstr. 16 in Berlin 1058 (The House at Dunckerstrasse 16 in Berlin, 1058)
1985
Baryta paper, silver gelatin
24.9cm x 24.9cm
© Reinhard Münch
Ergun Çağatay (Turkish, 1937-2018)
From the report: “Türken in Deutschland. Die zweite Generation” (“Turks in Germany. The Second Generation”)
1989/90
Werner Brunner (German, b. 1941)
Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg, Esmarchstraße 26, I. Hinterhof
From the series Berliner Wandbilder (Berlin Murals) 1974-1990
Hahnemühle Digital Fine Art, inkjet printing
30cm x 20cm
© Werner Brunner
Reproduction: Dorin Alexandru Ionita, Berlin
Dr. Barbara Hansen
“Motive aus dem Osten Berlins 1993-1998. Höfe”, Hof in Ostberlin
(“Motives from East Berlin 1993-1998. Courtyards” Courtyard in East Berlin)
Berlin, around 1995
Colour photograph on PE paper
Approx. 10 x 15cm (HF and QF)
© Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin
Unknown photographer
Hoffest in der Falckensteinstraße 27 (Garden festival at Falckensteinstraße 27)
1920
Postcard
From the collection of Eberhard Müller
Installation views of the exhibition Berlin Courtyards: Between Everyday Life, Work, and Encounters at the Museum Ephraim-Palais, Berlin, July 2025 – January 2026
Photos: Alexander Rentsch
Yella Hoepfner
Junior Curator of the Refik Veseli School
2025
© Yella Hoepfner
Berlin backyards have a lot to tell. Since the industrial revolution in the 19th century at the latest, Berlin has been a center of attraction for people from other regions of Germany and from other countries. The history of the city has therefore always been a history of migration.
Due to enormous population growth, spatial expansion and structural densification, Berlin is characterised by backyards like no other city. They are used for residential, educational, commercial, artistic, culinaric and many other purposes. Their history is diverse, just like the people who live there. With the special exhibition “Berliner Höfe” (Berlin Backyards) on the 3rd floor of the Museum Ephraim-Palais, the Stadtmuseum Berlin invites you to explore these urban spaces between past and present.
The backyards are exemplary of urban coexistence with all its contradictions. They show how people shape space. And they encourage us to take a closer look: What can backyards tell us about Berlin? What about ourselves? In short: What is going on there?
Graphics, photography and history
The special atmosphere of the Berlin backyards has repeatedly inspired graphic artists, draughtsmen and photographers to create images. In the exhibition, highlights from the museum collection meet the artistic works of urban researchers Duygu Örs and Sinthujan Varatharajah, which were created especially for “Berliner Höfe”. Using sounds and light, they deal with different sensory impressions from backyards that Örs and Varatharajah encountered in Wedding.
In addition, the junior curators from the Refik Veseli School in Kreuzberg and their mentor Yella Hoepfner present their own spaces in the permanent exhibition “BerlinZEIT” on the first and second floors of the museum. Their individual stories interact with objects from the collection.
Biographical data
Duygu Örs is a researcher, art educator and curator specialising in cultural and urban research. Since 2019 she has headed the education and mediation work of the Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art, since 2025 with Jas Wenzel. At the Institute for Sociology and Cultural Organisation (ISKO) at Leuphana University Lüneburg, she is working on the role of the museum in the ‘Right to the City’ movement. She is also a co-founder of the curatorial research collective Curating through Conflict with Care (CCC). Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Sinthujan Varatarajah (சிந்துஜன் வரதராஜா) writes and researches in Berlin. As a political geographer, Varatarajah focuses on issues of statelessness, im-/mobility and displacement from the perspective of infrastructure, logistics and building culture. Varatarajah has published several books since 2022. Varatarajah’s next book, ‘Where Time Stands Still’, will be published by Carl Hanser Verlag in spring 2026.
Text from the Museum Ephraim-Palais website
Lotti Nass (German, b. 1950)
Hof mit Baum (Courtyard with Tree)
2010
© Lotti Nass
Andreas Metz
In der Sandkiste (In the Sandbox)
2020
Birgit Hantke (German)
Waldstraße, Moabit
2021
© Birgit Hantke
Andrea Steiner
Doch die Toscana? (But Tuscany?)
2025
© Andrea Steiner
Duygu Örs and Sinthujan Varatharajah
Untitled
2025
Museum Ephraim-Palais
Poststraße 16
10178 Berlin
Opening hours:
Tue – Sun 10am – 6pm (also on public holidays)
Mon closed
Art Blart _ art and cultural memory archive 
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