Drawings and Watercolors from the Collection of Dr. Ruprecht Kamlah
Exhibition at the University Library Erlangen-Nürnberg (UB), Exhibition Room of the Main Library in Erlangen
October 28–November 17, 2021
In December 2020, Dr. Ruprecht Kamlah, an alumnus of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and a dedicated Erlangen citizen, donated his collection of works by German-speaking artists from the late-18th and 19th centuries to his alma mater. These artists drew significant inspiration for their work from encounters with antiquity in Rome.
The finest pieces from this precious collection, which was assembled over many decades, were on display in the exhibition “ItalienSehnSucht” (“Longing for Italy”) at the Main Library in Erlangen. Dr. Kamlah’s collection features works by renowned artists, including Joseph Anton Koch, Johann Christian Reinhart, Ludwig Richter, Hans Thoma, Karl and Leopold Rottmann, Domenico Quaglio the Younger, Joseph Rebell, and Karl Lindemann-Frommel.
Joseph Anton Koch and Johann Christian Reinhart are among the most important representatives of the so-called “Deutschrömer” (“German Romans”). Koch received an artistic education at the Hohen Carlsschule on a scholarship. However, after encountering difficulties there and being inspired by the ideals of the French Revolution, he fled to Strasbourg. With the support of his patron, George Nott, Koch settled in Rome in 1795, becoming the center of the German artists’ colony there. His fellow painter, Johann Christian Reinhart, had been living in Rome since 1789 and was one of the most respected German-speaking artists. Together with Koch, Reinhart is considered a pioneer of heroic landscape painting.
Karl and Leopold Rottmann, brothers and members of the Rottmann family of painters from Munich, devoted themselves to history and landscape painting. They both studied at the Munich Academy of Arts and worked for the Bavarian royal court.
From 1845 to 1915, German-speaking artists in Rome organized into an association called “Deutscher Künstlerverein” (German Artists’ Association). Its presidents included well-known artists such as Franz Ludwig Catel and Salomon Corrodi.
FAU University Press published a catalog for the exhibition, priced at €27.50. An online version is available on OPEN FAU.
Exhibition Gallery
