BERLIN (AP) — A major show of Caspar David Friedrich's iconic landscapes that marks the 250th anniversary of his birth is opening in Berlin, where he made his breakthrough and where a 1906 exhibition kicked off an enduring revival of interest in the German Romantic master.
The show at the German capital's Alte Nationalgalerie, which organizers presented on Wednesday ahead of its opening to the public Friday, includes some of Friedrich's best-known works.
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BERLIN (AP) — A major show of Caspar David Friedrich's iconic landscapes that marks the 250th anniversary of his birth is opening in Berlin, where he made his breakthrough and where a 1906 exhibition kicked off an enduring revival of interest in the German Romantic master.
People walk in front of a copies of Caspa David Friedrich's paintings Monastery Cemetery In Snow' , left, and 'High Mountains', right, during a press preview of the exhibition 'Caspar David Friedrich. Infinite Landscapes' at the Alte Nationalgalerie museum in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. A major show of Caspar David Friedrich's iconic landscapes that marks the 250th anniversary of his birth is opening in Berlin, the city where he made his breakthrough and where an exhibition in 1906 kicked off an an enduring revival in interest in the German Romantic master. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A man sits in front of a copy of Caspa David Friedrich's painting Monastery Cemetery In Snow' during a press preview of the exhibition 'Caspar David Friedrich. Infinite Landscapes' at the Alte Nationalgalerie museum in Berlin, Germany, Germany, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. A major show of Caspar David Friedrich's iconic landscapes that marks the 250th anniversary of his birth is opening in Berlin, the city where he made his breakthrough and where an exhibition in 1906 kicked off an an enduring revival in interest in the German Romantic master. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A woman walks near Caspar David Friedrich's painting 'The Sea of Ice' during a press preview of the exhibition 'Caspar David Friedrich. Infinite Landscapes' at the Alte Nationalgalerie museum in Berlin, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The exhibition marking the 250th birthday of Caspar David Friedrich and will run from April 19 until August 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A couple walk in front of the painings 'Monk By The Sea', left, and ' Abby Among The Oaks' during a press preview of the exhibition 'Caspar David Friedrich. Infinite Landscapes' at the Alte Nationalgalerie museum in Berlin, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The exhibition marking the 250th birthday of Caspar David Friedrich and will run from April 19 until August 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
People look to Caspar David Friedrich's painting 'The Sea of Ice' during a press preview of the exhibition 'Caspar David Friedrich. Infinite Landscapes' at the Alte Nationalgalerie museum in Berlin, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The exhibition marking the 250th birthday of Caspar David Friedrich and will run from April 19 until August 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A woman inspects Caspar David Friedrich's painting 'Abby Among The Oaks' whis is displayed next to 'Monk By The Sea' during a press preview of the exhibition 'Caspar David Friedrich. Infinite Landscapes' at the Alte Nationalgalerie museum in Berlin, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The exhibition marking the 250th birthday of Caspar David Friedrich and will run from April 19 until August 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A woman looks to Caspa David Friedrich's painting 'The Watzmann' during a press preview of the exhibition 'Caspar David Friedrich. Infinite Landscapes' at the Alte Nationalgalerie museum in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. A major show of Caspar David Friedrich's iconic landscapes that marks the 250th anniversary of his birth is opening in Berlin, the city where he made his breakthrough and where an exhibition in 1906 kicked off an an enduring revival in interest in the German Romantic master. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Among them are the two paintings that brought him to fame in 1810, “Monk by the Sea” — depicting a lone figure against the background of a dark sea and looming sky — and “Abbey among the Oaks.” The works were bought by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia.
Visitors can also look forward to classics such as the dramatic “The Sea of Ice," “Chalk Cliffs on Rügen” and “The Watzmann,” depicting one of Germany's highest peaks. The exhibition brings together 115 paintings and drawings by Friedrich, exploring the progress of his career.
Although the paintings are based on painstaking drawings, some of which are part of the exhibition, they “are not a reflection of nature, but are actually visions on the great philosophical questions of human existence,” museum director Ralph Gleis said.
Gleis described Friedrich as probably the best-known German painter after Albrecht Dürer.
That wasn't always the case. Friedrich, who was born in Greifswald in northeastern Germany in 1774 and died in 1840, was largely forgotten in the second half of the 19th century. He returned to public attention thanks to a 1906 exhibition at Berlin's Nationalgalerie celebrating a century of German art, which contained 93 works by Friedrich and celebrated him as a master of light and atmosphere.
The new show leans in part on that exhibition and features 45 of the works the public in Berlin saw more than a century ago.
Friedrich, who painted at the time of the Napoleonic wars in Europe, has been associated with nationalism. That's reflected directly in at least one painting, “Rocky Valley,” featuring the tomb of Arminius, a figure from Roman times who was revered as a German national hero.
His work is characterized by an “openness to interpretation” that has repeatedly been exploited, Gleis said, noting that the Nazis “tried to pocket Friedrich.”
That made it a little difficult for Friedrich's work to gain attention after World War II. The English-speaking art world helped revive interest in him as a “universal artist," Gleis added.
Friedrich “created pictures of longing and hope, but also of doubt,” curator Birgit Verwiebe told a news conference.
The Berlin show is one of three partly overlapping major exhibitions in Germany to mark the 250th anniversary of Friedrich's birth, with museums in Berlin, Hamburg and Dresden collaborating. The first, in Hamburg, closed at the beginning of this month after attracting huge numbers of visitors. An exhibition in Dresden will open in August.
The German museums will support a later exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York “to share our Friedrich with the world,” Gleis said.
The exhibition at the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin's neoclassical Museum Island complex, titled “Caspar David Friedrich. Infinite Landscapes,” runs from Friday until Aug. 4. The museum has extended its opening times to deal with high anticipated demand.
A man sits in front of a copy of Caspa David Friedrich's painting Monastery Cemetery In Snow' during a press preview of the exhibition 'Caspar David Friedrich. Infinite Landscapes' at the Alte Nationalgalerie museum in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. A major show of Caspar David Friedrich's iconic landscapes that marks the 250th anniversary of his birth is opening in Berlin, the city where he made his breakthrough and where an exhibition in 1906 kicked off an an enduring revival in interest in the German Romantic master. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
People walk in front of a copies of Caspa David Friedrich's paintings Monastery Cemetery In Snow' , left, and 'High Mountains', right, during a press preview of the exhibition 'Caspar David Friedrich. Infinite Landscapes' at the Alte Nationalgalerie museum in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. A major show of Caspar David Friedrich's iconic landscapes that marks the 250th anniversary of his birth is opening in Berlin, the city where he made his breakthrough and where an exhibition in 1906 kicked off an an enduring revival in interest in the German Romantic master. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A man sits in front of a copy of Caspa David Friedrich's painting Monastery Cemetery In Snow' during a press preview of the exhibition 'Caspar David Friedrich. Infinite Landscapes' at the Alte Nationalgalerie museum in Berlin, Germany, Germany, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. A major show of Caspar David Friedrich's iconic landscapes that marks the 250th anniversary of his birth is opening in Berlin, the city where he made his breakthrough and where an exhibition in 1906 kicked off an an enduring revival in interest in the German Romantic master. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A woman walks near Caspar David Friedrich's painting 'The Sea of Ice' during a press preview of the exhibition 'Caspar David Friedrich. Infinite Landscapes' at the Alte Nationalgalerie museum in Berlin, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The exhibition marking the 250th birthday of Caspar David Friedrich and will run from April 19 until August 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A couple walk in front of the painings 'Monk By The Sea', left, and ' Abby Among The Oaks' during a press preview of the exhibition 'Caspar David Friedrich. Infinite Landscapes' at the Alte Nationalgalerie museum in Berlin, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The exhibition marking the 250th birthday of Caspar David Friedrich and will run from April 19 until August 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
People look to Caspar David Friedrich's painting 'The Sea of Ice' during a press preview of the exhibition 'Caspar David Friedrich. Infinite Landscapes' at the Alte Nationalgalerie museum in Berlin, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The exhibition marking the 250th birthday of Caspar David Friedrich and will run from April 19 until August 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A woman inspects Caspar David Friedrich's painting 'Abby Among The Oaks' whis is displayed next to 'Monk By The Sea' during a press preview of the exhibition 'Caspar David Friedrich. Infinite Landscapes' at the Alte Nationalgalerie museum in Berlin, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The exhibition marking the 250th birthday of Caspar David Friedrich and will run from April 19 until August 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A woman looks to Caspa David Friedrich's painting 'The Watzmann' during a press preview of the exhibition 'Caspar David Friedrich. Infinite Landscapes' at the Alte Nationalgalerie museum in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. A major show of Caspar David Friedrich's iconic landscapes that marks the 250th anniversary of his birth is opening in Berlin, the city where he made his breakthrough and where an exhibition in 1906 kicked off an an enduring revival in interest in the German Romantic master. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
NEW YORK (AP) — Dozens of protesters took over a building at Columbia University in New York early Tuesday, barricading the entrances and unfurling a Palestinian flag out of a window in the latest escalation of demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war that have spread to college campuses nationwide.
Video footage showed protesters on Columbia's Manhattan campus locking arms in front of Hamilton Hall early Tuesday and carrying furniture and metal barricades to the building, one of several that was occupied during a 1968 civil rights and anti-Vietnam War protest on the campus. Posts on an Instagram page for protest organizers shortly after midnight urged people to protect the encampment and join them at Hamilton Hall.
“An autonomous group reclaimed Hind’s Hall, previously known as ”Hamilton Hall,” in honor Hind Rajab, a martyr murdered at the hands of the genocidal Israeli state at the age of six years old,” CU Apartheid Divest posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, early Tuesday.
The student radio station, WKCR-FM, broadcasted a play-by-play of the hall’s takeover – which occurred nearly 12 hours after Monday’s 2 p.m. deadline for the protesters to leave an encampment of around 120 tents or face suspension. Representatives for the university did not immediately respond to emails requesting comment early Tuesday.
In the X post, protestors said they planned to remain at the hall until the university conceded to the CUAD's three demands: divestment, financial transparency and amnesty.
Universities across the U.S. are grappling with how to clear out encampments as commencement ceremonies approach, with some continuing negotiations and others turning to force and ultimatums that have resulted in clashes with police. Dozens of people were arrested Monday during protests at universities in Texas, Utah and Virginia, while Columbia said hours before the takeover of Hamilton Hall that it had started suspending students.
Demonstrators are sparring over the Israel-Hamas war and its mounting death toll, and the number of arrests at campuses nationwide is approaching 1,000 as the final days of class wrap up. The outcry is forcing colleges to reckon with their financial ties to Israel, as well as their support for free speech. Some Jewish students say the protests have veered into antisemitism and made them afraid to set foot on campus.
At the University of Texas at Austin, an attorney said at least 40 demonstrators were arrested Monday. The confrontation was an escalation on the 53,000-student campus in the state's capital, where more than 50 protesters were arrested last week.
Later Monday, dozens of officers in riot gear at the University of Utah sought to break up an encampment outside the university president’s office that went up in the afternoon. Police dragged students off by their hands and feet, snapping the poles holding up tents and zip-tying those who refused to disperse. Seventeen people were arrested. The university says it’s against code to camp overnight on school property and that the students were given several warnings to disperse before police were called in.
The plight of students who have been arrested has become a central part of protests, with the students and a growing number of faculty demanding amnesty for protesters. At issue is whether the suspensions and legal records will follow students through their adult lives.
The Texas protest and others — including in Canada and Europe — grew out of Columbia's early demonstrations that have continued. On Monday, student activists defied the 2 p.m. deadline to leave the encampment. Instead, hundreds of protesters remained. A handful of counter-demonstrators waved Israeli flags, and one held a sign reading, “Where are the anti-Hamas chants?”
While the university didn’t call police to roust the demonstrators, school spokesperson Ben Chang said suspensions had started but could provide few details. Protest organizers said they were not aware of any suspensions as of Monday evening.
Columbia’s handling of the demonstrations also has prompted federal complaints.
A class-action lawsuit on behalf of Jewish students alleges a breach of contract by Columbia, claiming the university failed to maintain a safe learning environment, despite policies and promises. It also challenges the move away from in-person classes and seeks quick court action requiring Columbia to provide security for the students.
Meanwhile, a legal group representing pro-Palestinian students is urging the U.S. Department of Education’s civil rights office to investigate Columbia’s compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for how they have been treated.
A university spokesperson declined to comment on the complaints.
In a rare case, Northwestern University said it reached an agreement with students and faculty who represent the majority of protesters on its campus near Chicago. It allows peaceful demonstrations through the June 1 end of spring classes and in exchange, requires removal of all tents except one for aid, and restricts the demonstration area to allow only students, faculty and staff unless the university approves otherwise.
At the University of Southern California, organizers of a large encampment sat down with university President Carol Folt for about 90 minutes on Monday. Folt declined to discuss details but said she heard the concerns of protesters and talks would continue Tuesday.
USC sparked a controversy April 15 when officials refused to allow the valedictorian, who has publicly supported Palestinians, to make a commencement speech, citing nonspecific security concerns for their rare decision. Administrators then scrapped the keynote speech by filmmaker Jon M. Chu, who is an alumnus, and declined to award any honorary degrees.
The backlash, as well as Columbia's demonstrations, inspired the encampment and protests on campus last week week where 90 people were arrested by police in riot gear. The university has canceled its main graduation event.
Administrators elsewhere tried to salvage their commencements and several have ordered the clearing of encampments in recent days. When those efforts have failed, officials threatened discipline, including suspension, and possible arrest.
But students dug in their heels at other high-profile universities, with standoffs continuing at Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Yale and others. Police in riot gear at Virginia Commonwealth University sought to break up an encampment there late Monday and clashed with protesters.
Vertuno reported from Austin, Texas, and Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press journalists around the country contributed to this report, including Hannah Schoenbaum, Sarah Brumfield, Stefanie Dazio, Christopher Weber, Carolyn Thompson, David Collins, Makiya Seminera and Corey Williams.
FILE - Part of some estimated 300 students at Columbia University are shown milling around Hamilton Hall on the campus in New York, April 24, 1968. The students are protesting the construction of a gymnasium in a public park and the university's participation in a defense-related program. A couple of students stand on pedestal of the statue of Alexander Hamilton while others hang a poster of Stokely Carmichael from the balcony of the building along with a Viet Cong flag. (AP Photo/Jacob Harris, File)
Police arrive at a pro-Palestinian rally at Virginia Commonwealth University, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Richmond, Va. (Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)
Demonstrators and law enforcement officers clash during a pro-Palestinian rally at Virginia Commonwealth University, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Richmond, Va. (Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)
Law enforcement officers hold shields during a pro-Palestinian rally at Virginia Commonwealth University, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Richmond, Va. (Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)
Demonstrators stand behind a sign in preparation for police to arrive during a pro-Palestinian rally at Virginia Commonwealth University, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Richmond, Va. (Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)
University of Oregon students set up a tent encampment at the university to protest the Israel-Hamas war on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
A University of Oregon student carves a design into a stamp to be used on cloth at a tent encampment at the university that was set up to protest the Israel-Hamas war, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
A student at the University of Oregon sets up a sign that reads "Divest from death" as students set up a tent encampment at the university to protest the Israel-Hamas war on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
A student at the University of Oregon looks into a tent with other students at an encampment at the university that was set up to protest the Israel-Hamas war on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Pro-Palestinian protesters continued to occupy the grounds at University of California, Los Angeles in front of Royce Hall on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Los Angeles. Security has surrounded the encampment after a skirmish broke out Sunday between the Pro-Palestianian protesters and Israel supporters. (David Crane/The Orange County Register via AP)
Speakers take turns addressing a rally on Francis Quadrangle at the University of Missouri campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Columbia, Mo. Students staged a walkout and demonstration calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. The group made up of about 300 peopl, met at Lowry Mall and walked to the Quad and back. (Brian W. Kratzer/Missourian via AP)
A person who declined to give their name maneuvers among tents at an encampment by students protesting against the Israel-Hamas war at George Washington University on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Barricades torn down by demonstrators are piled in the center of an encampment by students protesting against the Israel-Hamas war at George Washington University on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Israel supporters look on at a pro-Palestinian encampment in front of Royce Hall at UCLA, Monday, April 29, 2024. Pro-Palestinian supporters joined in a march from their encampment in front of Royce Hall to areas around the campus. (David Crane/The Orange County Register via AP)
Pro-Palestinian protesters stand with linked arms surrounded by Texas state troopers and police at an encampment at University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
State troopers arrest a person at a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
A protester is taken away by University of Texas at Austin police at an encampment on the campus Monday, April 29, 2024. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
Student protesters march round their encampment on the Columbia University campus, Monday, April 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
A sign is shown written over to read "University of Palestine" at a pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of Washington campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Seattle. The group is demanding that the university divest from Israel and cut ties with Boeing, which manufactures products used by Israel Defense Forces. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A state trooper pepper sprays protesters at a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
State troopers arrest a pro-Palestinian protester at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
University of South Florida police officers take pro-Palestinian protesters into custody during a march on the campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
People gather on the grass at a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Washington campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Seattle. The group is demanding that the university divest from Israel and cut ties with Boeing, which manufactures products used by Israel Defense Forces. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A pro-Palestinian protester is grabbed by University of South Florida police as they begin to clash on campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Police arrest a pro-Palestinian protester at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday April 29, 2024. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
A pro-Palestinian protester yells "Free Palestine" as she is handcuffed by University of Texas at Austin police on the campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
A Palestinian flag flutters in the wind as University of Oregon students set up a tent encampment at the university to protest the Israel-Hamas war on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Police pepper spray pro-Palestinian protesters blocking police vehicles from leaving the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
A student at the University of Oregon is silhouetted in front of a Palestinian flag inside a tent encampment at the university that was set up to protest the Israel-Hamas war, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
A pro-Palestinian protester yells as state troopers stand during a protest at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday April, 29, 2024. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
