Humboldt Forum: A Cool Escape & Fascinating Asian Art in Berlin! 🇩🇪🏛️

#summervacay My second day of museum exploration in Berlin brought me to the Humboldt Forum, located just across the street from the Museum Island I visited yesterday. Given today's high temperatures, I was incredibly grateful for this museum – it has air conditioning! The entire experience was comfortable and enjoyable. I spent a solid three hours in their Asian exhibition floor alone, exploring in detail. Collections & Insights The collections heavily feature Gandhara artifacts (many gifted by princes and wealthy individuals from what is now Afghanistan) and Dunhuang treasures (acquired by expeditions, a historical legacy issue that sadly applies to several museums that "extracted" goods from Dunhuang). A significant portion of their original collection was also lost to wartime destruction. However, seeing such a large-scale Gandhara exhibition today was truly impactful. I picked up so many quirky, obscure facts! Gandhara's distinct Roman sculptural style really stood out. Having just visited the Altes Museum's Roman and ancient Greek exhibits yesterday, seeing the Gandhara collection felt like a seamless continuation. It was astonishing how a Buddha could seemingly transform into a Roman deity with just a change of hairstyle! Some sculptures even had headwear strikingly similar to ancient Egyptian styles, and the female busts, with their angles and expressions, strongly resembled Roman goddess imagery. It just goes to show, art truly knows no boundaries! #humboldtforum #berlinmuseums #asianart #gandhara #dunhuang #museumhopping