Veronika Davis works in the reception area of Department ZSE III. Her favourite place in the SPK is the Old Masters section of the Picture Gallery, which she already knew from her relatives’ living rooms in West Berlin.
Photo: SPK / G. Bahr
How long have you been working at the SPK, and what are your responsibilities?
I have been working in Mr Kern’s office since 2018; he heads the Department of Media, Communication and Events. In addition to the usual secretarial duties, one of my main tasks is compiling the press review for the SPK. At events and/or press conferences, I often handle admissions for members of the press. I am frequently in contact with journalists seeking quick answers and am happy to be able to help.
What is your favourite place at the SPK?
I have many memories and experiences of Berlin’s museums. As a teenager in West Berlin, I visited all sorts of museums on various school trips. Back then, however, I had other things on my mind and wasn’t particularly interested in what was on display. That changed with my first trips to Italy in the late 1970s. Rome, Siena, Florence – simply brilliant.
Today, the Gemäldegalerie is my favourite place. The one at the Kulturforum. To be honest, I can’t actually remember the location in Dahlem at all.
My first encounter with the “Gemäldegalerie” project was when the tenants of Villa Parey had to move out in the mid-1990s to make way for the new building. That was a real shame. A good friend of mine lived there, and there were great parties with all the interesting residents and their friends. That’s probably why I didn’t visit the finished Gemäldegalerie until the 2000s.
There, however, I came across some truly fascinating works, such as ‘The Boy with a Flute’ by Frans Hals, ‘Girl with a Fruit Bowl’ by Titian, and the floral still life by Tamm, among others. Reproductions of these hung on the walls at my parents’, my grandparents’ and my great-aunt’s homes. Always in opulent gold frames. Back then, you could order the masterpieces from the Neckermann catalogue. Or buy them at Karstadt in Steglitz and have them framed. Seeing the originals, my first thought was: “Oh, they really do exist!”
Today, these are a reminder of my late relatives and their living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms (the latter tended to feature religious motifs). And thus of experiences in many different rooms.
And I wonder today whether they ever saw the originals? Or did they simply like the motifs in the catalogue? Because I can’t remember us ever visiting a museum together.
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