Consider a time long ago. It was 1818. The Akademisches Kunstmuseum in Bonn was founded. It stands as one of Bonn’s oldest museums. It houses the University of Bonn’s antique collection.
The Akademisches Kunstmuseum boasts a collection of over 2,700 plaster casts. These casts represent antique statues and reliefs. The museum also holds over 25,000 original artifacts. Currently, due to renovations, you can visit the museum at Römerstraße 164. The building it is usually in, is a neoclassical building. It is at the southern end of the Hofgarten near the Electoral Palace.
Collections of plaster casts were essential for art students. They were used for instruction. Christian Gottlob Heyne first used them in 1763. He was at the University of Göttingen. The Akademisches Kunstmuseum was the first of its kind. Other universities had scattered collections. These collections were often in libraries.
Friedrich Gottlieb Welcker was the first director. He held the position from 1819 to 1854. He also served as a professor of archaeology. Otto Jahn and Friedrich Wilhelm Ritschl succeeded him. They shared the directorship. Reinhard Kekulé von Stradonitz became director in 1870. He was the nephew of the famous organic chemist Friedrich August Kekulé von Stradonitz.
In 1872, the Akademisches Kunstmuseum moved. It went to a building formerly used by the anatomy department. Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Hermann Friedrich Waesemann designed it. The building was constructed from 1823 to 1830.
Other notable directors include Georg Loeschcke, Franz Winter and Richard Delbrueck. Ernst Langlotz, Nikolaus Himmelmann, and Harald Mielsch also directed the museum. Every director except Friedrich Wilhelm Ritschl held a professorship of archaeology.
Today the Akademisches Kunstmuseum continues its mission. It collects Greek and Roman art from the Mediterranean. It has both casts and originals. Its antique collection is unparalleled in North Rhine-Westphalia. The museum has one of Germany’s largest collections of plaster casts. It has around 2,700 pieces. The original collection features thousands of ancient works. They are made of clay, stone, metal, glass, and organic materials. These offer insights into the ancient world.
The Akademisches Kunstmuseum’s collection includes nearly 30,000 objects. Besides regular museum operations, it hosts courses and tours. There are drawing classes, special exhibitions, and research projects. It is temporarily located on Römerstraße during renovations. Here, the museum presents its original collection. It also has a representative selection of plaster casts. The Akademisches Kunstmuseum remains a vital center. It preserves and shares ancient art and knowledge.