15.11.2007 to 24.02.2008
In the summer of 2005, the Kupferstichkabinett - Museum of Prints and Drawings purchased 34 as yet unknown drawings by Eduard Bendemann, an artist belonging to the Düsseldorf School. The drawings correspond with important monumental works from Bendemann's late oeuvre, among them two which are closely linked to the history of the Old National Gallery as they were especially commissioned for the rooms of the building (inaugurated in 1876). These works, however, were lost or damaged during the Second World War.
With this new acquisition, the Kupferstichkabinett now possesses numerous studies of 'Jews Being Taken into Babylonian Captivity', one of Bendemann's main works, and a colour sketch for a mural. The exhibition focuses on the newly acquired drawings but also includes earlier works. Next to the works from its own holdings, it presents a number of loans from other Berlin museums and private collections.