250 Years of Caspar David Friedrich

Experience the real spots of romance!

Anniversary year 2024

Events, special exhibitions and more

Did you know that the most important artist of early German Romanticism spent a large part of his life in Dresden? The Dresden State Art Collections are celebrating this anniversary with a major special exhibition. And on numerous hiking trails in Dresden Elbland and Saxon Switzerland, the attentive hiker will also come across the motifs that inspired the painter to create his marvellous pictures.

Find out here where you can see the real spots of Romanticism and what events are waiting for you in Dresden Elbland for the Caspar David Friedrich Year!

are in the Albertinum Dresden

Exhibitions to mark the anniversary

"Caspar David Friedrich. Where it all started"

For over 40 years, Dresden was the centre of life for the painter Caspar David Friedrich. Here he explored the works of the famous picture gallery and contributed to contemporary art debates. In Dresden, the artist became an important German Romantic painter who is now better known internationally than ever. To mark the 250th anniversary of his birth, the Dresden State Art Collections are dedicating a major exhibition to him in the Albertinum and the Kupferstich-Kabinett.

22.12.2024

Stages of the painter's life in Dresden

Gemälde "Das Große Gehege bei Dresden" von Caspar David Friedrich

Caspar David Friedrich moved to Dresden in 1798. It was here that he settled as an artist and began his career. Dresden and its surroundings, in particular the Elbland and the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, often served as a source of inspiration for the painter's paintings. Famous works such as "The Wanderer above the Sea of Fog" or "The Great Enclosure near Dresden" were created in this region.

Gemälde "Zwei Männer in Betrachtung des Mondes" von Caspar David Friedrich

In 1816, Friedrich was appointed a member of the Royal Saxon Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden, which emphasised his recognition as an important artist in the region.

Caspar David Friedrich: Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer

On 21 January 1818, Caspar David Friedrich married Caroline Bommer, the daughter of blue dyer Christoph Bommer, 19 years his junior, in Dresden's Kreuzkirche. The small wedding ceremony took place at 7 o'clock in the morning. The marriage produced three children, who were born in Dresden and baptised in the Kreuzkirche. Friedrich's most famous painting was probably created around 1818: The Wanderer above the Sea of Fog.

The painting became a symbol of Romanticism with the painter's most famous back figure. The landscape pass that Friedrich needed to draw it in Saxon Switzerland has been preserved in the Saxon State Archives in Dresden. The painting is now in the Hamburg Kunsthalle.

Gemälde "Der Friedhof" von Caspar David Friedrich

Caspar David Friedrich died on 7 May 1840 and was buried in the Trinitatisfriedhof cemetery, which is one of the most important cemeteries in Dresden in terms of urban and cultural history due to its artistic design. A simple grave slab covers the painter's final resting place. Today's grave was designed in 1934 at the suggestion of the Saxon Heritage Society. The two imposing gate pillars of the cemetery served Friedrich as a model for his painting "Cemetery Entrance".

More about the gravesite

Monument and grave

A memorial to the artist can be found directly in Dresden's Altastadt district. It was designed in 1990 by the artist Wolf-Eike Kuntsche and consists of a window, an easel and a memorial plaque, which are connected by poles. In the centre of the unusual structure is a chair. Caspar David Friedrich's grave is in the Trinitatisfriedhof cemetery, which is one of the most important cemeteries in Dresden in terms of urban history and cultural history due to its artistic design.

More about the monument Information about the grave

”

„The painter should not only paint what he sees in front of him but also what he sees within himself. So if he sees nothing in himself, he should also refrain from painting, what he sees in front of him. ”

- Caspar David Friedrich

Further exhibitions on Romanticism

A journey with leisure.

Dresden offers many opportunities to get closer to the art and person of Caspar David Friedrich: in edifying art exhibitions, at events, guided tours and hands-on activities in the "Valley of Romanticism" from the Elbland to Saxon Switzerland. In the words of Caspar David Friedrich, visitors should not only pay attention to "what they see before them, but also what they see within themselves". A journey with leisure. Here you can find more exhibitions on Romanticism in Dresden:

22.12.2024

Experience shopping

Caspar David Friedrich up close

Many people have a personal connection to Caspar David Friedrich. Artists are inspired by Friedrich's works, visitors to museums are emotionally moved, tourists are infected by Friedrich's way of travelling. In Dresden, extraordinary things have been created to mark the anniversary, which Friedrich fans can purchase and thus capture their visit to Dresden for eternity.

The tattoo studio Erika and Kurt in Dresden has designed special tattoos to mark an anniversary, combining the portrait of Friedrich, painted by his friend Gerhard von Kügelgen, with motifs from his works. Fans can choose between two designs. The portrait is located in the Kügelgenhaus, the museum of Dresden Romanticism.

Tattoo studio Erika & Kurt

Caspar David Friedrich - Siegelring zu Ehren des Künstlers

Sandra Coym, a Greifswald-born designer and goldsmith, has designed a jewellery collection in honour of Caspar David Friedrich in her studio in Dresden. In addition to necklaces and signet rings, her craftsmanship also includes a unique stone pendant that captures the colours of Friedrich's painting ‘The Great Enclosure near Dresden’, which is on display in the Albertinum.

Website Sandra Coym

Follow in the painter's footsteps!

Caspar David Friedrich was a convinced "slow traveller" - he just didn't know it yet. Why don't you take a walk in the footsteps of the early Romantic?

9 Tours

Theme trail

Group offer