With the exhibition “Making History”, the Hamburger Kunsthalle presents a spectacular look back at the development of art in the 19th century. At the centre is the museum’s largest painting, “The Entry of Charles V into Antwerp” (1878) by Hans Makart. After four years, this 50 square metre work returns to the Makart Hall and once again casts a spell over visitors. The monumental painting is not only regarded as the pinnacle of historicist painting, but is also one of the Kunsthalle’s most important identification pictures, the acquisition of which in 1879 provided strong impetus for the museum’s development.
Surrounded by around 60 other paintings and sculptures — including many of the Kunsthalle’s founding works — visitors are immersed in the diversity and contradictions of an era that was characterised by progress and scandal in equal measure. An artfully staged presentation with block-like hanging on velvet wall coverings brings the gallery ambience of the 19th century to life. The exhibition invites visitors to view the works with both pleasure and criticism and to reflect on their own view of art and history.
