In 1520, Albrecht Dürer, who was already famous at the time, set out on a journey to Aachen and the Netherlands. The travel book has been preserved in a historical copy, so that Dürer's undertaking is one of the oldest surviving journeys described by an artist himself. The reason for the trip, however, was not his artistic work − the plague had broken out in Dürer's hometown of Nuremberg and he planned to have the privileges promised to him by the late Emperor Maximilian I confirmed on the occasion of the coronation of the new Emperor Charles V. These privileges included a fixed pension. These included a fixed pension and a ban on the unauthorized reprinting of his pictorial inventions. This imperial precursor to copyright had been granted to only a few individuals.
»Dürer was here« takes you on Dürer's last great journey
Until October 24, the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum in Aachen is showing an exhibition of more than 190 exhibits on Albrecht Dürer's journey through the Rhineland and the Netherlands. From November 20, 2021, the exhibition will be shown in slightly different form in London.
Dürer used his journey in his typical entrepreneurial way of thinking: as he passed through numerous cities, including the art stronghold of Antwerp, he distributed and sold his copperplate engravings and at the same time increased his already high reputation. The Dürer brand with the monogram »AD«, which stands for innovation and technical quality, continued to consolidate itself throughout Europe.
In addition to Dürer's approximately 90 works, »Dürer Was Here. A Journey Becomes Legend« exhibits about the same number of prints and paintings by Dürer's contemporaries and successors, whom he met or inspired on his journey. These include Quinten Massys, Lucas van Leyden, Lucas Cranach the Elder, and Jan Brueghel the Elder. Other exhibits such as letters, maps, and clothing transport visitors into the everyday life of Dürer's almost year-long undertaking.
Dive deeper into the art world
Golden times: The Fuggers as patrons of the arts
On the 500th anniversary of Jakob Fugger's death on December 30, the Schaezlerpalais is commemorating him as a patron of the arts: the wealthy merchant family commissioned numerous artists of their time. The exhibition Art’s Rich Heritage: Jakob Fugger and his Legacy runs until April 12, 2026, in Augsburg.
»Käthe Kollwitz – Silent Strength«
The Käthe Kollwitz Museum presents the sensitive side of the artist through rarely seen drawings and trial prints: Käthe Kollwitz – Silent Strength runs until January 18, 2026, in Berlin.
