BMW Art Guide by Independent Collectors

Conceptual Authenticity

Sammlung Barbara und Axel Haubrok - haubrok projects - Berlin, Germany

Haubrokprojects, Berlin
Haubrokprojects, Berlin

As gentrification takes hold across Berlin, artists and collectors are in constant search for the authentic. The district Lichtenberg is a world away from the trendy galleries and shops of Mitte and Kreuzberg, yet just 20 minutes from either. This is where the Social Realism of the GDR, became real. Think industrial zones, wholesale markets and endless prefabricated tower blocks standing like sentries, guarding against hipsterfication. This part of the city has virtually remained static, reveling in its bleak totalitarianism.

It’s late October, the weather befits the surrounding greyness. I stand outside FAHRBEREITSCHAFT, which translates in English into RIDE, as a tow truck delivers its car cargo inside the compound. It’s a confusing premise until a billboard gives an indication to the shared actuality of the site; a poster advertising a series of Bruce Nauman’s video works, and another whereby the type simply reads, Stanley Brouwn.

FAHRBEREITSCHAFT, Berlin
FAHRBEREITSCHAFT, Berlin
Installation view with the work ’the distance between you and me’ by Stanley Brouwn
Installation view with the work ’the distance between you and me’ by Stanley Brouwn

In former times, the compound was headquarters to the GDR’s government car pool that used to ferry VIP and international guests around East Germany. Now in what feels like a socialist proposition, amongst the numerous motor-orientated businesses, it is home to one of Berlin’s leading Conceptual Art collections and foundations, plus 35 spacious artist studios situated in the former garages.

My guide today is Axel Haubrok, who purchased the property in 2012. Over the last 30 years, along with his wife Barbara, they have accrued an exemplary collection of 900 works, including important Conceptual Art pieces by the likes of Martin Creed, Heimo Zobernig, Christopher Williams and Martin Boyce, to name just a few. Previously, they showed their collection at a large exhibition space located on Strausbergerplatz in trendy Friedrichshain.

Now they have 18,000 square metres of living history. A small, former liquor distillery was all that remained after the devastation of the Second World War, so the numerous garages; warehouses and buildings have a pure GDR design sensibility. One of the pebble-dashed buildings, houses the exhibitions. Inside, the features remained unchanged from the GDR days, devoid of any contrived decoration. "Gentrification is not what I’m aiming for," explains Mr. Haubrok. "Whilst we’re still looking at what to restore and improve, the more I get into this place, the more I want to leave it as it is."

Installation view with the work ’unlimited’ by Bruce Naumann – © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2017
Installation view with the work ’unlimited’ by Bruce Naumann – © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2017
Installation view „bald eagle“, Mike Bouchet - Print Campaign
Installation view „bald eagle“, Mike Bouchet - Print Campaign

The eggshell white and mustard GDR tones are muted in their tonality. The patterned linoleum, ceramic tiles and concrete floors combine to create differing spaces to show works from the collection. Yet this time capsule from another epoch also adds another dimension - the austere functionality itself creating something almost exotic, in which to view the art.

Currently showing is the enigmatic and reclusive 80-year-old artist Stanley Brouwn, one of the most important representatives of the Fluxus movement. His habitual obsessions with geography, distance, direction and dimension have spanned his entire career.

"He is measuring the world," says Mr. Haubrok, as he explains the artist’s fascination with measurement, which plays out with works including singular vertical and horizontal lines, exactly one meter in length. The artist also distorts the premise with his own units of measurements, such as the Brouwn cubit, the Brouwn foot (26cm to be precise), and the Brouwn step. Another integral statement in the collection are Brouwn's artist books that have held exactly the same steady line of simplicity and impeccable measurements since the 1970's.

For me, there is also a duality between the work and the past history of the space. In a land in which citizens were once so regimented, I reflect how Brouwn makes me question the subjectivity of measurement. How it can be so controlled, yet also so easily contrived or distorted. Just like society.

Installation view „bald eagle“, Christoph Büchel
Installation view „bald eagle“, Christoph Büchel

Mr. Haubrok takes me on a tour of the site, which invokes the feeling of being on a film set. Today, anyway, it is. A film crew has set up inside one of the former administrative buildings that features a fully preserved GDR wood panelled bar and dining room. One floor up, a photographic exhibition is taking place. Meanwhile at street level, both mechanics and artists toil diligently in their garages. Honecker would be proud.

The Stanley Brouwn exhibition runs until May 2015.

Lollie Barr is an Australian freelance features journalist and fiction author. She resides in Berlin.
All images via haubrok projects / Photos: Ludger Paffrath

More Information on Haubrok Projects

Collections (135)

Saloni Doshi Collection

The Right to Look- Photographs from the Saloni Doshi Collection.

BRAUNSFELDER / FAMILY COLLECTION

Curated exhibitions of emerging and established artistic positions in the space of a former fittings factory.

MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART HELGA DE ALVEAR

One of the most relevant international contemporary art collections in Europe.

The Donum Collection

One of the world's largest accessible private sculpture collections

BASMOCA

One of the many initiatives of the Basma Al Sulaiman collection.

Zuzāns Collection

The largest private collection of Latvian art

ARtBON Collection and Foundation

Contemporary art is presented in a surprising way – and enriched by a blue exhibition pavilion

Museum Insel Hombroich

A unique cultural space of international significance

The Ojikutu Collection

Exquisite showcase of treasures of African art, culture, and history

miramART Collection

A non profit association created by Grand Hotel Miramare in Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy

Zeitz MOCAA

Collection relooked in 'Two Together'

AUDAIN ART MUSEUM

A leading arts organization based in Whistler, British Columbia

NEWM ART COLLECTION

A diverse collection of contemporary art

The Sotiris Felios Collection

A unique collection of contemporary art focused on the human figure.

Collezione De Iorio

Interview with Collector Mauro De Iorio

Kiran Nadar Museum of Art

KNMA is a non-commercial, not-for-profit organisation that aims to bridge the gap between art and the public

THE FARJAM FOUNDATION

One of the world’s foremost privately-owned art collections encompassing Islamic, Middle Eastern and Western art.

Colección SOLO

A collection displayed through different temporary exhibitions

COLLEZIONE TAURISANO

Unique Collection based in Naples, Italy

A PRIVATE COLLECTION

Frankfurt based Art Collector Tyrown Vincent on his 360° approach

The Bradshaw Collection

A collector couple that profits from the bundled synergy of their highly developed feel for art

Schlosspark Eybesfeld

Carefully executed art projects in a palace-garden setting

The Fernanda Feitosa & Heitor Martins Collection

A journey into the postwar Brazilian art scene

Takahashi Ryutaro Collection

One of the most important collections of contemporary Japanese art

Barjeel Art Foundation

Modern and contemporary art from four corners of the Arab world

The Perimeter

Famous contemporaries and Victorian industrial architecture in Bloomsbury

Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens

Re-opened and in the middle of Flanders, international art stars show in quick succession

West Collection

Key names in international art meet new voices

Rubell Museum

Curator Joey Lico teams up with artist Alexis Diaz to visit the mighty Rubell Museum in Miami

Vorres Museum

3 000 years of Greek history and postwar Greek art

Alexander Ramselaar Collection

A townhouse of young talent from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and around the world

Quetzal Art Centre

Contemporary art on a winery in the picturesque Alentejo region

Sammlung Wemhöner

A spontaneous exhibition set up in the now empty ballroom, before opening in 2023 as the collection's new home

Museum Liaunig

Nuriel Molcho and Francesca Gavin travel out of Vienna to hillside Carinthia, to meet with Peter Liaunig

Frissiras Museum

3 500 contemporary figurative paintings

Arario Museum in Space

Wide-ranging collection of Korean and Western art by the country’s leading collector and gallerist

Fondazione Brodbeck

Contemporary art in a post-industrial complex—in the shadow of a volcano

Peyrassol—Parc de Sculptures

A sculpture park on a centuries-old vineyard in Provence

Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung

A location for contemporary glass and photography

Colección de Arte Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat

Argentina's wealthiest woman presents six centuries of art-treasure collecting

Museum Brandhorst

Francesca Gavin and Benjamin Jaworskyj explore a dazzling new space in Munich

Rossini Art Site (RAS)

Large-scale sculpture in a landscape park

Castello di Ama per l’Arte Contemporanea

Site-specific installations for a dual passion: art and wine

Kasteel Wijlre Estate

Art from the 1960s to the present in a modern pavilion

Fundació Vila Casas

Three buildings, three points of focus: painting, sculpture and photography

Gibbs Farm

A sculpture park in XXL format with monumental art in the grandness of nature

Kloster Schoenthal

Nature-inspired sculptures in a pristine landscape

Pinchuk Art Centre

Blue-chip contemporary in the first private museum in the former USSR

Museo James Turrell — The Hess Art Collection, Colomé

Turrell’s largest Skyspace and additional light rooms in breathtaking surroundings

Kunst(Zeug)Haus

An extensive private collection of Swiss contemporary art of the last fifty years

Mathaf—Arab Museum of Modern Art

A Royal Collection Spanning 200 Years of Arab Art – Doha, Qatar

KaviarFactory

DJ Cassy and Francesca Gavin meet with collectors Venke and Rolf A. Hoff in Henningsvær, Norway

Stella Art Foundation

An exhibition space for contemporary Russian art

Sara Piccinini

Senior Coordinator, Collezione Maramotti - Reggio Emilia, Italy

Reflection and Speculation

Sammlung von Kelterborn – Frankfurt, Germany

Deichtorhallen Hamburg – Sammlung Falckenberg

Positions of social criticism in German and American contemporary art – Hamburg, Germany

The Walther Collection

Inside and Outside the Frame – Neu Ulm, Germany

Peter Ibsen Collection

Minimalist Works That Hone Your Sense for Detail – Copenhagen, Denmark

Initiating Dialogues

Sammlung Hoffmann – Berlin, Germany

The Mallin Collection & Buckhorn Sculpture Park

Andrea Denver and Francesca Gavin meet with collectors Sherry and Joel Mallin in Upstate New York

The Agah Uğur Collection

One of the Largest Video Art Collections in Istanbul, Turkey

KA Modern and Contemporary Art Space

900 Square Meters Dedicated to Lebanon’s Most Significant Artists – Beirut, Lebanon

Art About Beauty and Infirmity

Collezione De Iorio – Trento & Verona, Italy

Living Collection

Gary Yeh and Francesca Gavin meet with architect and collector William Lim in Hong Kong

Early Passions

Z Collection – Hong Kong, China

Infinite Interiors

Philara Collection – Dusseldorf, Germany

Papko Art Collection

Works of Turkish Modernism at the legendary Ralli Apartment in Istanbul

Risky Business

Astrup Fearnley Museet – Oslo, Norway

Something Special, Something Sacred

The Goss-Michael Foundation – Dallas, United States of America

JAHM – Justin Art House Museum

Digital and Abstract Art — Melbourne, Australia

A More Democratic Art

MACBA – Museum of Contemporary Art of Buenos Aires, Argentina

Embracing the Accidental

Trajković Collection – Belgrade, Serbia

Galila's P.O.C.

A Collection Made up of Thematic Collections – Brussels, Belgium

Establishing Roots and Creating Links

The Ovidiu Șandor Collection – Timișoara, Romania

Instituto Figueiredo Ferraz

Abstract painting and concept art in Brazil’s interior – São Paulo

Conversation Pieces

KUNSTSAELE Berlin – Berlin, Germany

Magazzino Italian Art

Contemporary Italian Art on the Hudson River – New York

Slow Learning

de la Cruz Collection – Miami, United States of America

Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa

A venue for contemporary African art – Cape Town

The Elliott Eyes Collection

Engaging With the Collectors – Sydney

Foundation Francès

A French roadtrip reaching the radical reflections of artist Kader Attia

The Sublime Hyacinth Collection

Czech Art Meets Czech Design – Prague, Czech Republic

Marciano Art Foundation

Contemporary art at the Masonic temple – Los Angeles

Time Stamps

Julia Stoschek Collection – Berlin, Germany

Generative Grammars

Servais Family Collection – Brussels, Belgium

Chasing the Future

dslcollection – Paris, France

Charged Atmospheres

Transformer Station – Cleveland, United States of America

Places in, and out of, Time

Adrastus Collection – Arévalo, Spain

Eloquent Silences

The Givon Art Forum – Tel Aviv, Israel

Counting to Ten

Ten Cubed – Melbourne, Australia

Dispersing Narratives

The Wedge Collection – Toronto, Canada

Dialogues in Nature

Chatsworth – Bakewell, Great Britain

Present Pasts

The Feuerle Collection – Berlin, Germany

Space for the Future

The Vanhaerents Art Collection – Brussels, Belgium

Colección Contemporánea

A Global Collection from a Seasoned Art Collector In Mexico City

Adrastus Collection

A Collection That Shows the Diversity of Art in the Age of Globalization – Arevalo, Spain

Masters and Romantics

Collection Lambert – Avignon, France

Fondazione Rolla

A Collection of Modern and Contemporary Photography in Ticino

Finnish Rhapsody

Didrichsen Art Museum – Helsinki, Finland

Cranford Collection

One of Europe’s Most Important Collections with Renowned Contemporaries in Regent’s Park – London

Broad Minded

Artist Tomasz Kobialka on The Broad – Los Angeles, USA

Jean-Paul Najar Foundation

European-American Post-Minimalist Art in a Bauhaus-inspired building – Dubai

Treasure Hunt

The Wanås Foundation/Wanås Konst – Knislinge, Sweden

AMC Collezione Coppola

A Curious Collector Acquiring Art to Broaden his Understanding of the World

A Home for Light and Color

MALBA – Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires

Newport Street Gallery

Damien Hirst’s ‘Murderme’ Collection finds a permanent home – London

Franks Suss Collection

A Duo Investing in Artists and Not Cashing In – Hong Kong, London and Sydney

Mallin Collection & Buckhorn Sculpture Park

A Magic Sculpture Garden in Westchester County – Pound Ridge, New York

Shine On

Wurlitzer – Berlin-Pied-à-Terre Collection – Berlin, Germany

Houghton Hall – King's Lynn

Lavish 18th Century interiors juxtaposed with contemporary outdoor sculpture

Venet Foundation

An Artist’s Take on Collecting in the South of France

G2 Kunsthalle

Large-scale paintings of the New Leipzig School in dialogue

The Immaculate Collection

Igal Ahouvi Art Collection – Tel Aviv, Israel

dslcollection

The best of Chinese contemporary art, available 24/7/365

Thoma Foundation

Two intimate art spaces in Chicago and Santa Fe encourage dialogue between work and viewer

Lyon Housemuseum

Located near Melbourne, Australia, collector Corbett Lyon designed the Housemuseum to share it with the public

Follow The Yellow Brick Road

Inhotim – Instituto de Arte Contemporânea e Jardim Botânico

Portraiture Confronting a Land’s Traumatic Past

The Walther Collection – Project Space New York – New York City

A Self-taught Collector

Vass Collection - Veszprém, Hungary

Roots in Rotterdam

Concordia Collection - Rotterdam, Netherlands

Louvre goes Lens – and Pinault follows

How France’s most established museum and collector are redeveloping forgotten places

History Reinvented

Insights into the influential collection of Martin Parr

A Collection Which Never Sleeps

David Roberts Art Foundation – Great Britain, London

Get Lucky

David Walsh and his MONA

An Eye into a Secret World

SIP Shpilman Institute for Photography – Tel Aviv, Israel

Gifts for Philadelphia

Private collectors with a generous heart

A New Home for Miami’s Art Scene

On the opening of the Jorge M. Pérez Museum

Prima Materia at Punta Della Dogana

François Pinault Foundation - Venice, Italy

Eric and Jean Cass Collection

A private collection goes public

Bernardo Paz’s Transformative Museum

A closer look at Inhotim in Brazil

The Open Road to Jupiter

Robert & Nicky Wilson - Jupiter Artland

Collecting with an Impact

Dakis Joannou - Deste Foundation for Contemporary Art

Menil Collection Makeover

Starting with the parking lot

White Rabbit Collection

Chinese Contemporary Art – Australia, Sydney