Family Gathering

Philipp Otto Runge, who lived and worked in Hamburg from 1795 onwards, was the most prominent artist of the Romantic period besides Caspar David Friedrich. Portraiture played a major role in Runge’s oeuvre; for him the individual was an important member of the community, and he considered the family to be the nucleus of wider societal relations. Philipp Otto Runge’s portrayal of members of his own family therefore has a key position in his art; it expresses the Romantic notion of the family as an unswerving alliance. A small publication dedicated to this particular feature of the artist’s work is available. Besides major oil paintings, the exhibition gives insight into the treasures contained in the Department of Prints, Drawings and Photography. It also features a selection of works on loan from other museums and private collections, adding to the unique Runge holdings in the collection of the Hamburg Kunsthalle.

A Runge family gathering will take place in Hamburg to mark the occasion of the 225th anniversary of the artist’s birth.