The Anniversary
He is the most important artist of German Romanticism and continues to inspire to this day: Caspar David Friedrich. Born in Greifswald in 1774, the free spirit and visionary will celebrate his 250th birthday in 2024. On the occasion of this noteworthy anniversary, the Pomeranian State Museum is dedicating a varied programme to him from March to December 2024. Three consecutive special exhibitions will bring together the museum's extensive collection with prestigious loans from national and international museums - and thus offer the opportunity to delve into paintings and drawings by the exceptional artist for almost the entire anniversary year. A particular highlight is the iconic masterpiece "Chalk Cliffs on Rügen", which for the first time ever will be on display in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In addition to encountering the originals, visitors can expect a walk through the entire museum from March 2024 with interactive stages and so dip into Friedrich's life, work and epoch in an innovative way.
Caspar David Friedrich. Lifelines
A Walk in Drawings & Paintings
Special exhibition
28.04. – 04.08.2024
With six paintings, more than 60 drawings and prints as well as numerous archival documents and letters, the Pomeranian State Museum owns one of the most considerable collections of original materials from Caspar David Friedrich's life and work worldwide. The special exhibition "Lifelines" presents the museum's extensive portfolio almost in its entirety for the first time and brings them into dialogue with precious items such as the entry in the baptism register from 1774 and additional loans as honored "birthday guests" in order to trace Friedrich's path from his first attempts at drawing to his late work.
Patroness of the special exhibition 'Caspar David Friedrich: Lifelines' is Minister of State for Culture and Media Claudia Roth.
Caspar David Friedrich. Places of Longing
Chalk Cliffs on Rügen & Greifswald Harbour
Special exhibition
18.08. – 06.10.2024
The anniversary exhibition around Caspar David Friedrich's birthday on September 5th features a real star guest: the main work "Chalk Cliffs on Rügen". The world-famous painting, now at home in Winterthur, Switzerland, will be on display for seven weeks and for the first time ever presented in Friedrich's home region and at the Pomeranian State Museum – a long-awaited encounter of painting and landscape after more than 200 years! Combined with other masterpieces such as the "Greifswald Harbour" and "Eldena Ruin in the Giant Mountains", the exhibition casts a light upon the artist's "places of longing" in Swedish Pomerania and beyond. An additional hommage to Friedrich will extend the display. The photographer Volkmar Herre brings back the alluring view on the "Chalk Cliffs" through the camera obscura.
Patroness of the special exhibition 'Caspar David Friedrich: Places of Longing' is Minister-President Manuela Schwesig.
Caspar David Friedrich. Hometown
Meadows near Greifswald & Greifswald Harbour
Special exhibition
16.10.2024 – 05.01.2025
Caspar David Friedrich remained closely connected to Greifswald, the place of his birth, childhood and youth, throughout his life. One of the most impressive testimonies to this is the painting "Meadows near Greifswald", which belongs to the Kunsthalle in Hamburg. In 2024 the Pomeranian State Museum will bring the painting back to the Baltic Sea and place it at the centre of the special exhibition, which will illuminate Friedrich's connection to his hometown and conclude the anniversary year. The presentation is complemented by preparatory drawings, views of the city by his contemporaries and a room installation which explores Friedrich's meadow landscape.
Patron of the special exhibition 'Caspar David Friedrich: Hometown' is Mayor Dr. Stefan Fassbinder.
From the forecourt to the Museums road
250 Steps towards Caspar David Friedrich
March – December 2024
Inspired by Friedrich's hikes, from March 2024 onward the Pomeranian State Museum invites visitors to set out on their own "art journey on foot" independent of the individual art exhibition. Past several interactive stations that encourage creative engagement with Caspar David Friedrich and his period, a specially created route leads from the forecourt onto the Museums road. Even during the remodelling periods when no originals are on display, along this way, an installation of the legendary "blue flower", a treadmill for own walks and a time box concerning the year 1818 can be found. In addition a cabinet exhibition with digital collages by the artist Hiroyuki Masuyama will create a link to the present and place Friedrich's wanderings in contemporary contexts, starting July 2024.
Rakower Straße 9
17489 Greifswald Information for your visit
The exhibitions and accompanying formats in the Pomeranian State Museum are embedded in a wide-ranging cultural and scientific anniversary programme of the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald and many participating institutions.
In addition to the exhibitions and festivities in Greifswald, Friedrich will be honoured in 2024 with special shows at the Hamburger Kunsthalle, the Alte Nationalgalerie Berlin and the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, to some of which the Pomeranian State Museum will contribute loans. This will be followed in 2025 by a major retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
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