Hamburger Kunsthalle shows »Rendezvous of Dreams«

Romantic Surrealism

A penchant for dream worlds, the night and a special feeling for nature: the art and poetry of Romanticism were among the most important sources of inspiration for Surrealism. In Rendezvous of Dreams. Surrealism and German Romanticism, the connection is presented in great detail. The exhibition opens on June 13 at the Hamburger Kunsthalle.

June 13, 2025
Joan Miró (1893–1983), Hund den Mond anbellend (Chien aboyant à la lune), 1926
Courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art © Successió Miró / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2024
Joan Miró (1893–1983), Hund den Mond anbellend (Chien aboyant à la lune), 1926, Öl auf Leinwand, 73 x 92,1 cm, Philadelphia Museum of Art: A.E.Gallatin Collection, 1952

The thematic proximity can already be found in André Breton's surrealist manifesto from 1924: German Romanticism was one of the most important sources of inspiration for Surrealist artists. Dreams, the supernatural and nature in transition are just some of the focal points that link the two art movements. The exhibition Rendezvous of Dreams. Surrealism and German Romanticism reveals the relationship between Surrealism and Romanticism and offers new perspectives on already familiar works of art. The show runs at the Hamburger Kunsthalle from June 13 to October 12. It was previously shown in a modified form at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, among others, and will then open at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on November 8.

Around 180 works of Surrealism are juxtaposed with 60 works of Romanticism. World-famous paintings are juxtaposed with lesser-known works, some of which have never been shown in an exhibition before. The Surrealist works are by Victor Brauner, Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, Valentine Hugo, Paul Klee, René Magritte, André Masson, Joan Miró, Meret Oppenheim and Toyen, among others, while the Romantic works are by Caspar David Friedrich and Philipp Otto Runge, for example. The influence of Romantic poetry, exemplified by Novalis, Heinrich von Kleist and Karoline von Günderrode, is also explained. In addition to works of art from the collection of the Hamburger Kunsthalle, numerous loans from the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate in London, the Museum Ludwig in Cologne and international private collections are on display.Art.Salon

Philipp Otto Runge (1770–1810) , Hund, der den Mond anbellt, 1803
Hamburger Kunsthalle, Kupferstichkabinett © Hamburger Kunsthalle / bpk Foto: Christoph Irrgang
Philipp Otto Runge (1770–1810) , Hund, der den Mond anbellt, 1803, Weißer Scherenschnitt auf blauem Papier, 182 x 155 mm

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