Kunsthalle

The most interesting art gallery in northern Germany, the Kunsthalle in Hamburg has a tradition dating back to 1817, when the Kunstverein (friends of the fine arts), proud of its middle-class, nonaristocratic background, was established.

The museum opened to the public in 1869. The collection has a standard chronological review of European art movements, with an emphasis on 19th-century German Romantics, with works by Caspar David Friedrich and Philipp Otto Runge. A fourstorey extension, the Galerie der Gegenwart (contemporary gallery), was built in 1996 to a design by the architect O M Ungers. The building is reached by an underground link from the basement of the main gallery.

The Polar Sea (1823–4)

Caspar David Friedrich’s dramatic seascape, with a sinking ship in the background behind the rising flow, is loaded with symbolism.

Hannah and Simeon in the Temple (c.1627) Thanks to his mastery of a sense of drama, Rembrandt succeeded in depicting the psychological make-up of his elderly subjects, who have recognized the Saviour in an unspoken message conveyed to the temple by Mary and Joseph.

High Altar of St Peter in Hamburg (1383)

This paneled painting, displaying a stunning wealth of detail, was produced by Master Bertram of Minden, the first artist in Germany to be identified by his name.

Morning (1808)

This painting by Philipp Otto Runge centres around Aurora, goddess of dawn, and was intended to be part of a series called “Times of the Day”. The other works were never completed due to the artist’s untimely death aged 33.

Self-Portrait with Model (1910 and 1926) Sixteen years after first painting this picture, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner repainted areas, in order to emphasize the distance between model and artist.

Nana (1877)

The subject of Édouard Manet’s painting was the heroine of a Zola novel. Manet was not allowed to exhibit the painting in the Paris Salon because Nana was known as a Parisian courtesan.

Girls on the Pier This painting is one of six variations on the same theme painted by Edvard Munch. The painter omitted the landscape, concentrating on the relationship and tensions between the girls.

GALLERY GUIDE

On the ground floor, Rooms 2–10 and 16–19 contain works of art from the first half of the 20th century. On the first floor, Rooms 101–116 display the works of old masters. In Rooms 117–136 paintings from the 19th century are exhibited, and more works from the first half of the 20th century are shown in Rooms 137–148.