A tightrope walk between art and memorial: On the example of the Memorial for Austrian & Jewish Victims of the Shoa in Vienna and the Holocaust-Memorial in Berlin

The following paper will elaborate on the basis of the memorial by Rachel Whiteread in Vienna, Austria and the memorial by Peter Eisenman in Berlin, Germany the meaning and position of memorials within the field of art. It will analyze the interplay between the memorials and their surroundings and the influence they had and still have among society. Furthermore it will respond to the artists personal execution of the topic, naming the Jewish persecution by the Nazi Regime. After all the paper will end by comparing the two memorials in terms of their appearance, meaning and reputation. The Conclusion will summarize and draw a line back to the initial research question - Can a memorial be assigned to the field of art, or can we distinguish a memorial as ‘art to remember’ and assign it to a separate, own field independent of art?AR2A011Architectural History ThesisArchitecture, Urbanism and Building Science