From the Romantic Period to Impressionism

Nineteenth-century painting is the focal point of the collection in Bremen. One striking highlight of German Romanticism is The Blue Grotto of Capri by Heinrich Jakob Fried, whereby paintings by Eugène Delacroix exemplify the French position. A yearning for Italy is seen in the large group of works by the Nazarenes and by the German Romans Hans von Marées, Arnold Böcklin,and Anselm Feuerbach.

A rich collection of oil studies documents the special interest of Kunsthalle directors for “picturesque” painting. This is also reflected in paintings from the Leibl circle with still-lifes, landscapes, and portraits by Otto Scholderer, Carl Schuch, and Wilhelm Trübner. Gustav Pauli (1899–1914), the first director of the Kunsthalle Bremen, assembled one of the best collections of German and French Impressionism in Germany in direct communication with Max Liebermann, Max Slevogt, and Lovis Corinth. His acquisitions of major French works of art was pioneering. In the first decade of the twentieth century, he acquired Camille by Claude Monet, the Portrait of Zacharie Astruc by Edouard Manet, and Field with Poppies by Vincent van Gogh, the purchase of which in 1911 caused a major scandal. These purchases made the Kunsthalle Bremen an early champion of modern art.

Sculptural masterpieces can be found alongside the painting collection. Psyche by Canova illustrates the delicacy of early Neoclassicism, whereas Louis Tuaillon’s Amazon and works by Franz von Stuck and Georg Minne range from the classical ideal to Art Nouveau. The highlight of the sculpture collection is formed by ten works by Auguste Rodin. Predominantly purchased during the artist’s lifetime, they pave the way to the twentieth century.