Study Abroad in NYC: German Students Visit Guggenheim’s Thannhauser Collection

Montclair German professors love nothing more than traveling with students, be it on Dr. Thomas Herold’s faculty-led study abroad trip to Munich and Berlin to examine the complex legacy of Nazi cinema and propaganda, or to spend a day across the Hudson immersed in the many languages of the Manhattan streets and the rich cultural heritage of the Thannhauser Collection at the NYC Guggenheim.

The Thannhauser Collection is one of the most significant collections of works by French, Dutch, Swiss, and German artists including Degas, Manet, van Gogh, Franz Marc, Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and others. Students explored the revolutionary colors of the “Blaue Reiter” movement and learned that Thannhauser’s Moderne Galerie in Munich also hosted one of the first Picasso exhibitions in Germany in 1913.

Students had the added bonus of exploring the current exhibition entitled “Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility,” a powerful exhibition exploring Black and African American identities today through experimental pieces featuring such materials as disembodied hoodies and spectral figures hauntingly walking across a green room. It was a day for special encounters, as one student met up with her family at the museum, students heard German tourists conversing around public spaces, students from across language levels got to know each other for the first time, and one student even made friends with a British family in which the mother had previously been a German teacher in the United Kingdom.

To round out the day, students had lunch at Reichenbach Hall near Penn Station, “where guests can celebrate Oktoberfest every day.” Students feasted on Schnitzel, Spätzle, Hühnersuppe, Obatzda and Riesenbrezeln, served at authentic Munich communal tables under wagon-wheel chandeliers and blue checked Bavarian flags. Sitting at tables next to German native speakers on their work breaks and surrounded by German sayings on the walls as well as German Oktoberfest music on the speakers, students got a little taste of festive Munich flair. With sayings like “Keine Angst,” “Angestellte müssen ihre Hände Waschen,” “Das ist mir furzegal,” “Ich habe Durst,” “Das Leben ist gut,” and “Bis später” stencilled the tiles in the bathroom, one might have thought one had been whisked to Europe for the afternoon.

Along the way, students practiced their German skills, doing “Super-Quiz-Spiel” geography trivia and sharing etymological banter in the train, discussing tips for getting the cheapest data and phone plans while in Munich, sharing pictures from other study abroad experiences, and brainstorming future travel plans.

Dr. LaFountain’s favorite parts of trips like this are developing a spirit of exploration together and seeing students support each other’s international aspirations. The students appreciated both the art and the multicultural experience, with one student commenting, “Ich habe die geheime Ausstellung der Überwachungsmonitore genossen,” while another noted, “My favorite part of the trip was meeting foreigners and seeing famous paintings in person!” Students returned at the end of the day even more excited about taking on their next explorations, maybe even in a summer, semester, or year abroad!