A significant art collection comprising hundreds of works by renowned German landscape painter Carl Blechen has officially changed ownership from the city of Cottbus to the Branitz Prince Pückler Foundation. The transfer marks a new chapter for one of the world's largest collections of Blechen's works, now permanently housed at Branitz Palace in Cottbus with a new exhibition detailing its remarkable history.
The collection, which has been physically stored and conserved at Branitz for years, is now officially under the stewardship of the Foundation Prince Pückler Museum Park and Palace Branitz (SFPM). This ownership transfer is expected to streamline future acquisitions and make it easier to secure donations for expanding the collection, according to city officials.
Cultural State Secretary Tobias Dünow of the Social Democratic Party, who chairs the foundation's board, described the transfer as a "great vote of confidence" in the SFPM. "With this handover, the collection will not only be preserved but further researched, expanded, and made more visible," Dünow stated.
The new exhibition, titled "Mayor Werner's Legacy," opened Thursday at Branitz Palace and chronicles the collection's fascinating history since its establishment in 1912. The story began when former Mayor Paul Werner first assembled works by the Cottbus-born artist, laying the foundation for what would become an internationally significant collection. The exhibition particularly focuses on the successive mayors who played crucial roles in managing and expanding the collection over the decades.
Visitors can view previously undisplayed documents in the palace's Chamois Room, which trace the collection's complex history during the Nazi era. During World War II, the collection suffered war losses, with some pieces still missing and actively being searched for today. These historical documents provide insight into this turbulent period and the ongoing efforts to recover lost works.
Alongside the historical narrative, the exhibition showcases newly acquired paintings by Blechen, including the oil painting "Fantastically Formed Rock on the Coast at Evening Light." The exhibition will remain open through the end of October, offering visitors a comprehensive look at both the collection's past and its continued growth.
The Cottbus Blechen collection represents one of the most significant assemblages of the artist's work worldwide, rivaled only by the collection at Berlin's Old National Gallery. The Branitz collection houses more than 500 artworks, with approximately 80 created by Blechen himself. These include depictions of Brandenburg landscapes, childhood drawings by the artist, and works from his transformative journey to Italy.
Carl Blechen, born in Cottbus in 1798, stands alongside Caspar David Friedrich as one of Germany's most important landscape painters of the early 19th century. He studied at the Royal Academy of Arts in Berlin and worked as both a stage painter and freelance artist before being appointed professor of landscape painting at the Academy of Arts in 1831. His career was cut short when he died in Berlin just nine years later in 1840.
The collection extends beyond Blechen's own works to include paintings by his contemporaries and students, such as Friedrich August Elsasser and Carl Steffeck. The assemblage is further enriched by works from Impressionist masters like Max Liebermann and modern artists including Käthe Kollwitz. Art experts estimate the entire collection's value at more than five million euros.
The foundation structure offers significant advantages for the collection's future development. Unlike municipal ownership, the foundation can more easily accept donations and deploy resources for acquisitions, potentially accelerating the collection's growth and scholarly research. This structural change reflects a broader trend of transferring cultural assets to specialized foundations that can provide focused expertise and more flexible funding mechanisms.
Felix Kotzur from the SFPM demonstrated the collection's diversity by showcasing Blechen's painting "Dead Partridge," highlighting the artist's versatility beyond his famous landscapes. The exhibition format allows visitors to understand not just Blechen's artistic evolution but also the social and political contexts that shaped the collection's development over more than a century.
The transfer ceremony and exhibition opening represent a milestone for cultural preservation in Brandenburg, ensuring that this invaluable artistic heritage will continue to be professionally maintained, studied, and shared with future generations. The Branitz Palace setting provides an appropriate historical context for displaying these masterworks, creating a dialogue between Blechen's artistic vision and the cultural landscape of 19th-century Prussia.
This institutional change also reflects the growing recognition of regional cultural assets and the importance of proper stewardship for artistic collections. By placing the collection under foundation management, stakeholders aim to enhance both its scholarly value and public accessibility while ensuring its long-term preservation for future generations of art enthusiasts and researchers.
