As of: April 2nd, 2024 1:50 p.m
More than 60 paintings and 100 drawings by Caspar David Friedrich were on display at the Hamburger Kunsthalle for more than three months. The extensive exhibition in Hamburg has now come to an end – with a record number of visitors.
Standing in line for the master of romance in Hamburg’s bad weather. On the last day of the Caspar David Friedrich exhibition, more than a thousand visitors flocked to the art gallery. The tickets were in great demand right up to the end, as was the case with Martina Rapp from Stuttgart: “We drove up to Hamburg especially for the exhibition. In mid-March we got the last time slot for this morning.” And Alina Gießler is looking forward to the works: “These are great pictures. I think he’s a great painter. I also think it’s a great style.”
There was criticism at the beginning of the exhibition: the rooms were too small, the pictures were hung too close together, and there were too many visitors at the same time. The museum responded to the public’s complaints, opened until the evening hours and reduced the number of tickets in order to allow an uninterrupted view of masterpieces – such as the “Chalk Cliffs” or the “Wanderer above the Sea of Fog”. In total, more than 325,000 people visited the exhibition “Art for a New Time,” making it the most successful in the history of the Hamburger Kunsthalle.
Further information
In his opening speech, Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that Friedrich’s art reflected the major upheavals of his time. more
More Caspar David Friedrich exhibitions
“Exploring the contemporary appeal of this artist was precisely the aim of this exhibition,” says Kunsthalle director Alexander Klar, explaining the audience’s enormous fascination. “To show that Caspar David Friedrich is actually a kind of conceptual painter who paints what he sees within himself rather than what he sees in front of him. And that is a very timeless concept.”
Many themes and motifs actually seem timeless. Epoch-making works – such as the Arctic Ocean – artistically show how nature sets limits for people. World-famous back portraits such as “The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog” address vision itself, says Alexander Klar: “In my opinion, the main connecting point is that none of these pictures are tied to time. The figures could also be us today. There is nothing that appears historical . It works presently.”
On the occasion of the romanticist’s 250th birthday, further Caspar David Friedrich exhibitions will follow in Greifswald, Berlin and Dresden throughout the anniversary year.
Further information
3 Min
The exhibition to mark the painter’s 250th birthday was a complete success. But there was also criticism. Alexander Klar in an interview. 3 mins
The big show “Lines of Life” starts on April 28th in Friedrich’s birthplace. Curator Birte Frenssen promises “a kind of walk-in diary.” more
A new viewing point was inaugurated on Friday on the Caspar David Friedrich picture trail in Greifswald. more
The life-sized monument was created on a massive boulder in Lauterbach by the Rostock sculptor Thomas Jastram. more
Numerous exhibitions, theater performances and concerts are planned – the cathedral will also have newly designed windows. more
For the 250th anniversary, the Pomeranian State Museum is showing the exhibition “Lines of Life”: paintings, drawings and graphics by the Romantic painter. more
The longing-awakening pictures by the great landscape painter are still in great demand today. Caspar David Friedrich was born in Greifswald in 1774. more
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NDR Culture | The Morning | April 2, 2024 | 07:20 am