The cathedral museum collects. This does not seem surprising, because in addition to preserving and maintaining what exists, “continuing to collect” is, as we know, one of the core tasks of a museum. But what is collected and why? Given limited financial resources, what can be purchased and does collecting even make sense if there is a lack of depot space and exhibition options are limited?
Using selected new additions since 2015, the exhibition shows why collecting is still so important and how expanding collections creates new perspectives for the entire museum. These include works such as Candida Höfer's photograph of the Bernward Room, which can only rarely be exhibited for conservation reasons, as well as fragments of the sculptures from the baroque portal of the St. Michael's Monastery, a historicist monstrance by the Hildesheim goldsmith Ludolf Maxen or the Bible designed by prominent designers of the 20th century visionary.
But even beyond the museum context, collecting is an ancient cultural technique. Collecting means the procurement of things necessary for survival, such as food, but also refers to the targeted bringing together of objects that have a special meaning for people. These can be porcelain cups, toy cars or Pokémon cards. The Cathedral Museum has dedicated its own showcase to this topic, in which objects from private collections are presented.