how to: Memories of a Nation with Neil MacGregor

In a rich and multi generic approach the Germany: Memories of a Nation project comprises an exhibition at the British Museum, a 30 part Radio 4 series and a book, all working to illuminate the past 600 years of Germany history through a variety of cultural artefacts, from quotidian objects to landmark art and literature.
In this exclusive talk for how to: Academy, British Museum Director, historian and author Neil MacGregor will build a portrait of the nation to reveal the relationship between Germany's cultural identity and its history -- along with the wider repercussions of this history, from wars to the Berlin wall.
Having already shown himself to be an enlightening commentator on the broader historical, political and social significance of things in Radio 4's A History of the World in 100 Objects, MacGregor has now honed to focus to the relatively unexplored artistic context of Germany. Expect an insightful speaker and a far-ranging lecture that starts with the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall and the reunification of Germany, and sweeps back through time, spanning the fairy tales of the Grimm Brothers, the philosophies of Nietzsche and Kant all the way to the Holy Roman Empire.
Highlights of the exhibition, which are likely to be discussed, include German heavyweights Albrecht Durer, Hans Holbein and Gerhard Richter are particular highlights in the exhibition, as well as technological achievements like Gutenberg’s printing press, Meissen porcelain, the Bauhaus movement and modern design icons like the VW beetle.
If Anselm Kiefer at the Royal Academy has whetted your appetite for German culture, then this is a rare chance to gain an insight into the moments and mementoes that have defined Germany's past and achievements, tragedies and cultural inventiveness.