Our Art History students travelled to Berlin to visit museums, galleries, exhibitions, and art districts. In an immersive program, they explored one of Europe’s most vibrant cultural hubs.
In the Art History major, undergraduates learn to examine art across time and space, exploring historical and cultural contexts while uncovering canonical forms of painting, sculpture, and architecture, as well as contemporary art practices in galleries, museums, and institutions across Sydney. For many, the ultimate highlight of their university experience is the Art and the City fieldwork unit.
This immersive program takes students beyond the classroom to some of Europe’s most exhilarating cultural hubs. They earn academic credit by engaging with a city’s architectural history, public spaces, galleries, monuments, collections, and artworks.
This year, thirty of our Art History students spent two weeks exploring Berlin’s cultural scene during the European summer. Led by Associate Professor Donna West Brett and Dr Nick Croggon, the group immersed themselves in the city’s art, architecture, and history. Among them was Bachelor of Arts student Georgia Tutt, who served as Digital Media Student Ambassador, capturing the experience through video reels for the University’s TikTok and Instagram channels. The initiative was supported by a Sydney Abroad scholarship.
Uncovering a city of contrasts
Berlin is a city of contrasts—vibrant, rebellious, and deeply historical. Its graffiti-covered walls, countless museums, and inclusive culture reflect a spirit of resistance and renewal. Boasting more than 170 museums, Berlin was the perfect playground for students to apply their academic knowledge. The city’s artistic development is intertwined with pivotal turning points such as the establishment of the German Empire in 1871, the 1933 Reichstag fire, liberation from National Socialism in 1945, construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, and its fall in 1989.
Each day began with a hotel breakfast buffet and the group fuelled up on coffee, pretzels, toast, and fresh fruit. The lobby served as an informal classroom where students were briefed on the day’s destinations, their historical significance, and key points to observe.
The program kicked off with a walking tour of the Jewish Quarter—now famous for its art and café scene—and the Berlin Wall Memorial. The 12-foot high brick wall once divided the city during the Cold War until late 1989. Another highlight was Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site nestled between the riverbanks of the Spree. It is home to five major cultural institutions: the Altes Museum, Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, Bode-Museum, and Pergamon Museum.
Resistance is clearly seen in the graffiti-drenched walls, the abundance of museums and galleries, and a culture made up of those determined to be free and accepting. Seeing it through the lens of art history truly opened my eyes to how art and the world interact and influence each other.
Georgia Tutt, Undergraduate Art History student
A deep dive into classic and modern art
Students explored works spanning ancient Greek and Egyptian pieces to contemporary art. Whether studying the Bode Museum’s altar paintings, the controversial Helmut Newton exhibition at the Museum of Photography, or installations at the Berlin Biennale, Associate Professor Brett and Dr Croggon provided deep insights and thought-provoking perspectives.
The trip coincided with three major exhibitions at the Neue Nationalgalerie, alongside its permanent collection of 20th-century modern art. A mix of paintings, installations, and interactive works by Gerhard Richter, Yoko Ono, and Lygia Clark were on display.
What I loved most about this museum—and many other students agreed—was its intentional curation. The space was themed around ‘Art after 1945,’ following a timeline of significant events in Germany and the world through the Cold War.
Georgia Tutt, Undergraduate Art History student
Berlin’s long summer days
Outside the galleries, students presented on history, architecture, and cultural significance, exchanging impressions and linking their observations to academic studies.
No Berlin visit would be complete without iconic landmarks such as Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, and the Holocaust Memorial. Afternoons offered free time to roam the city. Georgia and her peers often ventured to different parts of Berlin in search of vintage stores, discovering designer boutiques, massive op shops, and per-kilo clothing halls.
Summer evenings in Berlin, marked by mesmerising late sunsets, were spent in idyllic beer gardens or playing card games in the hotel lobby. Berlin’s buzzing nightlife provided plenty of entertaining stories for breakfast conversations the next day.
The program concluded with a deep dive into Berlin’s thriving contemporary art scene, affirming its status as a cultural capital.
Berlin truly is a magical city, especially when lit in the summer evening light—a city full of people embracing life and freedom after a tainted history of confinement and censorship.
Georgia Tutt, Undergraduate Art History student
For Georgia, viewing the city through the lens of art history opened her eyes to the dynamic interaction between art and society. This perspective has since influenced her approach to studying art history—making it more intentional, globally aware, and inclusive of diverse viewpoints and shared histories.
The Art and the City fieldwork unit forged friendships and memories students will cherish forever. The discipline of Art History is already looking forward to June 2026, when students will conquer the cultural scene of Paris. Berlin Fieldwork will return in the summer of 2027.
About Fieldwork: Art and the City (ARHT3681 )
The Art and the City feldwork unit is offered through the Discipline of Art History and was generously assisted by student travel programs, including the Frank McDonald Memorial Fund and the University’s scholarships, to support student access and inclusive educational opportunities.
This news story is based on a GLAM blog article written by Georgia Tutt, Digital Media Ambassador and Art History undergraduate student.