WHO WE ARE
Paulina V. Ahlstrom
Director, Berlin
Contemporary Art is my forte and my passion: I grew up in New York and have had the privilege of attending Wednesdays at the Met from an early age, Modern Mondays at the MoMA, and have spent countless afternoons at The Whitney - even while it was in its original Marcel Breuer home. I studied fine art at Pratt Institute and received a BFA in Film directing from the School of Visual Arts. There, I met art historian Robert C. Morgan, internationally celebrated art critic, expert on both Western and Asian Art, and author of Art Into Ideas: Essays on Conceptual Art. Dr. Morgan is a recent recipient of the Albert Nelson Marquis lifetime Achievement Award; Dr. Morgan has been an inspirational force in my life ever since.
Storytelling - and building unforgettable experiences - is what I live for. To share my passion for art, architecture, and design is my life’s mission. I long to arouse curiosity, foster understanding, and encourage critical thinking during and long after an encounter with an artwork, a moving image, or a structure.
I has completed graduate courses at NYU, Columbia University, Yale University, among others, and has worked for renowned art institutions such as Art21 (PBS), Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, and closely with conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner (1942-2021). Prior to moving to Berlin, I was curator of video art at Kunsthalle Detroit, Museum for Contemporary Light Art. In Berlin, I studied experimental media and performance art with Isabel Spengler at the University of the Arts (UdK, 2005).
Justin Polera
Art Historian, Curator, Art Tour Guide - Berlin
Justin hails from Chicago, where he studied at the University of Illinois, Chicago, as well as received his Bachelor of Art Science in Creative Arts Therapy from the New School in New York. He is a researcher and an art historian, currently at HUA International, as well as founder of PS120, Berlin, independent non-profit art space located on Potsdamer Strasse in Schöneberg. He is pursuing his graduate studies at JFKI Freie Universität, working on his thesis entitled „The Performing Object.“
Brunno Silva
Art Tour Guide - London & Southern Italy
Brunno is an art advisor and independent curator based in Berlin, São Paulo and Southern Italy. As a curator, Brunno has worked on exhibitions for projects spaces in Italy, UK, Germany, USA and Brazil. As an art consultant, he works with collectors at international art fairs and those who are particularly interested in the German art scene. His expertise lies in contemporary art from, and informed by, North America, Latin America and Europe.
Dominique Büge
Art Tour Guide - Berlin
Dominique studied economics at Humboldt University of Berlin and at University of Milan, Bicocca. As a student she was working in the field of project management and marketing communication for me Collectors Room / Stiftung Olbricht and Daimler AG. Currently she studies Fine Art at Berlin University of the Arts (UDK) with a focus on installation and photography. In addition to her studies she works as a freelance art mediator and artist assistant. She has organized workshops for private collections including me Collectors Room / Stiftung Olbricht, Art Tours for Deutsche Bank Kunsthalle / PalaisPopulaire, and others. In her opinion contemporary art should be accessible to everyone and she loves to facilitate the exchange of different perspectives and perceptions about art.
Art Tours Berlin was founded by art historians Constance van Berckel and Ariela Braunschweig in 2018 with the goal of making art more accessible to a wider audience. Today it is run by Paulina V. Ahlstrom with a team of international art historians, cultural liaisons, and exceptionally passionate storytellers.
