Deutsches Historisches Museum - Verf�hrung Freiheit. Kunst in Europa seit 1945 - Blog

Our considerations about having two versions had primarily to do with the presentation of the art works and the size of the catalogue. Long texts would have made the printed version so extensive that the images of the individual artworks would have had to be quite small. So, to avoid sacrificing the art to the text, we chose to have a supplementary online catalogue. This can be accessed at the publisher’s website with a reader authorisation located in the standard printed catalogue.

We could thus keep the printed catalogue ‘slim’, with its essays, abstracts, and large images of the artworks. The online version, on the other hand, could include the 180 longer essays about the art works. Initially we wanted to include a CD of the 180 essays with the catalogue, but quickly gave up the idea.

Besides, who wants to carry a thousand-page catalogue around to read on the train? The new electronic media seemed to be more practical. The electronic version allows us to provide interactive comparison illustrations, videos, links, and a search function. This is the first time that we and our publisher, Sandstein, have tried this approach, so it is an experiment.

Sneak a peek!

Each chapter has an opening screen with its artworks. Moving your mouse across the categories brings up the artist names and clicking on an image takes you to a page with the artist biography, an abstract, and an essay. The left column is for navigating through the individual chapters.