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Famous Romantic Painting Finds Home in Berlin

March 23, 2004
https://p.dw.com/p/4pBu

The famous painting "Der Watzmann" by German painter Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840) was handed over to Berlin's Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation in the Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery) on Monday. Created in 1824/25 and one of the key works of the German romantic movement, the large painting will now be a permanent fixture at the Alte Nationalgalerie, which houses one of the largest collections of 19th century sculptures and paintings in Germanys. "Der Watzmann", named after a mountain on the German-Austrian border, was owned by the heirs of a Jewish art collector who sold it under pressure following Nazi persecution in 1937. The works of Caspar David Friedrich, which mainly consist of surreal watercolors and sepia drawings of the Baltic coastline and ruins of medieval cathedrals, usually fetch millions of dollars. But officials are staying tight-lipped about how much money changed hands to secure permanent housing for "Der Watzmann."