What alchemy and art have in common
Alchemists and artists alike are highly ingenious, transforming materials and creating their own worlds and realities. A Berlin show now throws some light on how they have mutually inspired each other over centuries. 
In a way, they are artists. That's the topic explored by the large-scale exhibition "Alchemy. The Great Art," which runs from April 6 to July 23, 2017, in Berlin's Kulturforum. The foreword of the exhibition's program explains that alchemy is a creation myth and therefore intimately related to artistic practice. Berlin's Kulturforum can be seen as predestined location for such a show, as the Berlin state museums and the Berlin state library contain a myriad of items representing 3,000 years of art and cultural history. The exhibition was also supplemented by loans from international institutions. From Ancient Egypt to Joseph Beuys On show are 200 exhibits, ranging from items of Ancient Egyptian temples and writings of the early modern era to works of contemporary artists including Anselm Kiefer, Yves Klein and Joseph Beuys. As the permanent transformation of materials is part of Beuys' work, he actually sees himself as part of the alchemist tradition. Alchemy, the art of metallurgy For thousands of years, alchemists have searched for the stone of the wise, a technique for transforming raw metals into precious ones, particularly gold. According to a legend, the deity Hermes Trismegistos engraved the formula for the creation of the stone of the wise into an emerald panel 2,500 years ago. According to that formula, the legendary stone of the wise was to be created by combining the four basic elements - namely fire, water, earth and air - with quicksilver, sulfur and salt. The term "alchemy" itself originated in Ancient Greece and signified something like "metal casting." During the Middle Ages, alchemy was referred to as "Ars Magna" in Europe. Not surprisingly therefore, the "great art" was also seen as serving artistic endeavors. The mysterious stories surrounding alchemists portray them either as cranky and crazy, or as wise and omniscient. Even if nowadays they are much ridiculed for their superstitious spirituality, alchemists were once the precursors of modern chemistry and pharmacology. Creation, creator and creature The exhibition "Alchemy. The Great Art" is divided in three sections showing how alchemists and artists have mutually influenced and enriched each other. The section "Creation" focuses on the origins of alchemy, as well as the influence of alchemist techniques on art. The section "Creator" illustrates the influence of alchemists, and their pursuit of creative power. The section "Creature" presents the successful transformation of raw materials into precious materials, as well as the creation of artworks. Click through the gallery above to see a selection of the works on show at the exhibition.
Berlin
Berlin Humboldt_University_of_Berlin Berlin_(band) German_Open_(WTA) Berlin,_New_Hampshire Berlin_Hauptbahnhof Olympiastadion_(Berlin) Berlin,_Connecticut Berlin_International_Film_Festival Berlin,_Maryland Berlin_(Lou_Reed_album) Berlin,_New_Jersey Berlin,_Massachusetts Berlin,_Wisconsin East_Berlin Battle_of_Berlin
large-scale exhibition
Alchemy. The Great Art
April 6
July 23, 2017
Berlin
Berlin Humboldt_University_of_Berlin Berlin_(band) German_Open_(WTA) Berlin,_New_Hampshire Berlin_Hauptbahnhof Olympiastadion_(Berlin) Berlin,_Connecticut Berlin_International_Film_Festival Berlin,_Maryland Berlin_(Lou_Reed_album) Berlin,_New_Jersey Berlin,_Massachusetts Berlin,_Wisconsin East_Berlin Battle_of_Berlin
Kulturforum
Kulturforum
Berlin
Berlin Humboldt_University_of_Berlin Berlin_(band) German_Open_(WTA) Berlin,_New_Hampshire Berlin_Hauptbahnhof Olympiastadion_(Berlin) Berlin,_Connecticut Berlin_International_Film_Festival Berlin,_Maryland Berlin_(Lou_Reed_album) Berlin,_New_Jersey Berlin,_Massachusetts Berlin,_Wisconsin East_Berlin Battle_of_Berlin
Kulturforum
Kulturforum
Berlin
Berlin Humboldt_University_of_Berlin Berlin_(band) German_Open_(WTA) Berlin,_New_Hampshire Berlin_Hauptbahnhof Olympiastadion_(Berlin) Berlin,_Connecticut Berlin_International_Film_Festival Berlin,_Maryland Berlin_(Lou_Reed_album) Berlin,_New_Jersey Berlin,_Massachusetts Berlin,_Wisconsin East_Berlin Battle_of_Berlin
Berlin
Berlin Humboldt_University_of_Berlin Berlin_(band) German_Open_(WTA) Berlin,_New_Hampshire Berlin_Hauptbahnhof Olympiastadion_(Berlin) Berlin,_Connecticut Berlin_International_Film_Festival Berlin,_Maryland Berlin_(Lou_Reed_album) Berlin,_New_Jersey Berlin,_Massachusetts Berlin,_Wisconsin East_Berlin Battle_of_Berlin
Ancient Egypt
Ancient_Egypt Ancient_Egyptian_religion Art_of_ancient_Egypt History_of_ancient_Egypt Egyptian_mythology Ancient_Egyptian_technology Ancient_Egyptian_mathematics Ancient_Egypt_(magazine) Ancient_Egyptian_cuisine History_of_Egypt Egyptian_calendar Ancient_Egyptian_units_of_measurement Military_of_ancient_Egypt New_Kingdom_of_Egypt Ancient_Egypt_in_the_Western_imagination Outline_of_ancient_Egypt
Joseph Beuys
Joseph_Beuys
Ancient Egyptian
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Anselm Kiefer
Anselm_Kiefer
Yves Klein
Yves_Klein
Joseph Beuys
Joseph_Beuys
Beuys
Joseph_Beuys Beuys_(film)
deity
Hermes Trismegistos
Hermes_Trismegistus
Ancient Greece
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Middle Ages
Middle_Ages Middle_Ages_(TV_series) England_in_the_Middle_Ages Medieval_music Scotland_in_the_Middle_Ages Middle_age Medievalism Serbia_in_the_Middle_Ages Medieval_cuisine Christianity_in_the_Middle_Ages Cyprus_in_the_Middle_Ages Scotland_in_the_High_Middle_Ages France_in_the_Middle_Ages Romania_in_the_Middle_Ages Late_Middle_Ages High_Middle_Ages
Ars Magna
Europe
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exhibition
Alchemy. The Great Art
section
Creation
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section
Creator
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section
Creature
Creature_(1985_film) Creature_(miniseries) Creature_(Moist_album) Creature_(2011_film) Animal Frankenstein's_monster Creature_(band) Gill-man Creature_(1999_film) Creature_(Within_the_Ruins_album) Organism Legendary_creature Kevin_Foley_(drummer) Creature_3D Faceless_Hunters Hybrid_beasts_in_folklore
Ancient Egyptian
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Alchemy. The Great Art
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Kulturforum
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Berlin
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Joseph Beuys
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July 23, 2017
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Anselm Kiefer
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Yves Klein
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deity
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Hermes Trismegistos
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Ancient Greece
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Middle Ages
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Ars Magna
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Europe
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Creation
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