- by Michael Wood
- Oct 25, 2008
If you ever have a month on your hands and want to spend it surveying a wealth of art, evidently Berlin is the place to be. The city has the enviable status of being home to over 100 museums, including the State Museums of Berlin, a network of 15 institutions whose holdings were substantially augmented by the generosity of one man: James Simon. This fact, little-known outside Germany and a coterie of art aficionados, is driven home by a new exhibition at the Legion on Honor, The State Museums of Berlin and the Legacy of James Simon. On view through January 18, 2009, it’s an appreciative tribute to the far-reaching cultural interests of perhaps the most generous art collector and philanthropist in Berlin history. (His descendant, Tim Simon, who lives in Pacific Heights, was instrumental in bringing the exhibition to the Legion.)