Italian Landscape and Ancient Ruins The Romantic Painter Friedrich Nerly in Rome 14.03. – 05.07.2026

Italian Landscape and Ancient Ruins. The Romantic Painter Friedrich Nerly in Rome

The Kunsthalle Bremen is rediscovering the painter Friedrich Nerly in a major exhibition.
Off to the south – that was the big trend in Romanticism. Friedrich Nerly (1807–1878) also went to Italy at the age of 21. He worked in Rome, Tivoli and Olevano, which were then, as now, hotspots for artists and tourists. He travelled along the coast to Naples and Sicily. There he created sun-drenched drawings and watercolours from nature, which served as the basis for his paintings.

The highlight is the painting Campagna Landscape with Aqua Claudia from 1836. It lay dormant in storage for decades – a difficult case for restoration. Only a generous donation made its elaborate restoration possible. An unknown major work by Nerly came to light!
Read more about the restoration of the Campagna Landscape with Aqua Claudia on our blog. (in German)

The motif was new and spectacular at the time: the imposing ruins of the aqueduct at the gates of Rome. It was not until the end of the 1820s that artists began to take an interest in the monument. Nerly's painting marks the beginning of this development and is unique in its design. Works by Blechen, Piranesi, Schirmer, Spitzweg and others illustrate the career of the pictorial subject.

With the photo series Aqua Claudia, 2014, by Hans-Christian Schink, the exhibition bridges the gap to the present day and stimulates current debates: about forgotten and rediscovered places, about the changing way we view Italy's cultural heritage, and about the history and future of water supply – an essential topic in times of climate change.

Exhibition Catalogue:
A catalogue will be published by Hirmer Verlag with numerous illustrations and contributions by Maria Aresin, Börries Brakebusch, Dorothee Hansen, Maren Hüppe, Jens Köhler and Dorothea Ritter. (in German)
39,90 € at Kunsthalle Bremen museum shop | 50,- € in the online shop and at book stores (ISBN 978-3-7774-4659-2)

Nerly in Venice

An accompanying exhibition entitled ‘Nerly in Venice: Gondolas and Palaces’ will be presented at the Department of Prints and Drawings, featuring two iconic paintings and 50 works on paper.

**Friedrich Nerly, *Campagnalandschaft mit Aqua Claudia*, 1836**

Oil on canvas, 124 x 148,5 cm, Kunsthalle Bremen – Der Kunstverein in Bremen

**Friedrich Nerly, *Bewachsene Felsen über einem Tal, Ariccia*, 1835**

Oil on paper on cardboard, 25 x 40,5 cm, Kunsthalle Bremen – Der Kunstverein in Bremen

**Friedrich Nerly, *The Forum Romanum*, 1830**

Oil on canvas, 82,5 x 110 cm, Private Collection, © Fotostudio Bartsch, Karen Bartsch, Berlin

**Friedrich Nerly, *The temple of Saturn on the Forum Romanum*, 1829/30**

Watercolour, pen, brush in brown, pencil, 28,9 x 25,8 cm, Angermuseum Erfurt, Foto: Stadtverwaltung Erfurt, Dirk Urban

**Friedrich Nerly, *Villa in Italian landscape, overlooking a bay (Mola di Gaeta)*, 1835**

Oil on canvas, 63 x 75 cm, Stiftung Schleswig-Holsteinische Landesmuseen Schloss Gottorf

**Friedrich Nerly, *Temple of Juno Lacinia II in Agrigent*, 1835**

Watercolour, 46,9 x 65,5 cm, Angermuseum Erfurt, photo: Stadtverwaltung Erfurt, Dirk Urban

**Friedrich Nerly,** ***The waterfalls at Tivoli seen to the east*, 1829/35**

Oil on paper on canvas, 58 x 77,5 cm, Belvedere, Vienna

**Friedrich Nerly, *Küstenlandschaft bei der Mündung des Garigliano*, 1833/34**

Watercolour, 51 x 76,7 cm, Kunsthalle Bremen – Der Kunstverein in Bremen

**Friedrich Nerly, *Buffalos pulling a marble block*, 1832/33**

Oil on canvas, 74,5 x 99,4 cm, Thorvaldsens Museum, Kopenhagen, photo: Lennart Larsen

**Friedrich Nerly, *Maria with hair band* (Detail), 1833**

Watercolor, Angermuseum Erfurt, photo: Stadtverwaltung Erfurt, Dirk Urban

**Friedrich Nerly, *Italian terrace with girl and lute player (hair braiding in Mola di Gaeta)*, 1838**

Watercolour, gouache, pencil, 19,3 x 23,3 cm, Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main

**Hans-Christian Schink, *Via del Quadraro (1)*, from the series *Aqua Claudia*, 2014**

178 x 211 cm, Kunsthalle Bremen – Der Kunstverein in Bremen, Gift by Claus H. Wencke, 2025, © Hans-Christian Schink

**Hans-Christian Schink, *Via del Quadraro (2)*, from the series *Aqua Claudia*, 2014**

51 x 60 cm, Loan from the artist, © Hans-Christian Schink

**Carl Spitzweg, *English peopla in the Campagna*, c. 1835**

Oil on paper on cardboard, 40 x 50 cm, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Nationalgalerie, photo: Jörg P. Anders

**Carl Blechen,** *Roman aqueduct,* c. 1828/29

Oil on paper on cardboard, 13 x 23,5 cm, Kunsthalle Bremen – Der Kunstverein in Bremen / Loan from the Bundesrepublik Deutschland

**Johann Wilhelm Schirmer, *Roman Campagna with aqueduct*, 1845**

Oil on canvas, 103 x 166,8 cm, Martin von Wagner Museum der Universität Würzburg

Book your ticket and guided tours in our Online Shop!

Public Tours:
(in German only) Fri | Sat | Sun 3 pm
All dates can be found in our Online Shop.
Tickets are available at: kunsthalle-bremen.de/tickets | from € 6,- per person (plus admission fee)
Remaining tickets may be available one hour before start of the tour at the museum desk.

Visita guidata pubblica in italiano:
Nei seguenti giorni dalle 11:30 alle 13:00:
Domenica 12 aprile | 10 maggio | 14 giugno | 5 luglio 2026
8,- € più il biglietto d'ingresso alla mostra
I biglietti sono disponibili in prevendita su kunsthalle-bremen.de/tickets e alla biglietteria del museo.

Guided Tours for groups:
(in German)
€ 80,- (plus admission fee)
€ 90,- on weekends and public holidays (plus admission fee)
from € 50,- for school classes
Information and registration: T +49 (0)421 - 32 908 220 (Mon - Fri 1 pm - 5 pm), by email (Visitor Services) or right here

Exclusive exhibition visit
Enjoy with your guests the exhibition exclusively beyond the opening hours!
Please call us – we will be happy to advise you: T +49 (0)421 - 32 908 190

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