The 19th century, the industrial age, was a time of rapid change, progress and inventions such as the steam engine and the bicycle. It fascinated and allowed people to believe in the unlimited possibilities of man. On the other hand, there were concerns about losing tradition, spirituality and memory of the past. Hence the care for preserving memorabilia and the dream of creating a temple of art, fulfilled 150 years ago when the City Museum in Gdańsk opened. As it was then, they now present works by great artists, such as Wilhelm von Schadow, Theodor Hildebrandt, Józef Simmler, Wilhelm August Stryowski, Eduard Hildebrandt, from their collection and those of the National Museum in Warsaw, National Museum in Poznań, National Museum in Wrocław, Art Museum in Łódź, Gdańsk Museum and the National Maritime Museum. Besides painting, they show sculptures, embroidery, ceramics and oriental-style items from the National Museum in Gdańsk’s collection. Most of these objects will be seen by the public for the first time. The arrangement is a modern reinterpretation of the designs of former exhibitions and press advertisements.

The event is part of a project carried out by the National Museum in Gdańsk and the Gdańsk Museum concerning the art of the 19th century, under which both institutions prepared exhibitions and organised a joint conference on the subject.

Read more: https://www.mng.gda.pl/wystawy/marzyciele-epoki-industrialnej-malarstwo-w-gdansku-w-xix-wieku/