Graphic Art Collection
- Georg Christoph Wilder (1797-1855): View from Karolinenstraße to St Lawrence's Church. Watercolour, 1832.
General Information about the Graphic Art Collection
The Graphic Art Collection, established in 1971, comprises over 100,000 objects, mainly drawings and prints. This makes it the most comprehensive collection of image material on Nuremberg’s city history and thus complements the written documents kept in Nuremberg City Archives. The collection is categorised according to key words relating to the city’s topography and cultural history. Since the 19th century, and before the Collection was established as an independent entity, graphic works of art owned by the city had often been entrusted to the Germanisches Nationalmuseum for safe keeping, and some of them are still kept there today.
The building housing the Graphic Art Collection in Äußere Sulzbacher Straße 60 was built by Hans Müller in 1922, and then served as the administrative building for the iron rolling mill works Julius Tafel (today Museum for Industrial Culture).
Since 1991, the Graphic Art Collection and Albrecht Dürer's House have been jointly administered.
- The new graphic cabinet in Dürer’s House (during the exhibition "Network Dürer", 2010).
Exhibitions in the Graphic Art Cabinet in Albrecht Dürer's House
Unlike paintings, sculptures and arts and craft exhibits, works on paper are very light-sensitive and can only be displayed for short time periods.
Therefore, a new "Graphic Art Cabinet" was established on the third floor of Albrecht Dürer's House (Albrecht-Dürer-Str. 39), as a space for temporary exhibitions showcasing the rich holdings of the collection. The refurbishment has succeeded in making historical architecture clearly visible again while installing modern, but unobtrusive exhibition architecture at an advanced technical level.
- Dr. Thomas Schauerte presenting the Graphic Collection in a TV report (screen shot).
© Bayerischer Rundfunk
Film
In November 2010, a film team from the Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Broadcasting Company) visited both Dürer's House and the Graphic Art Collection, making a film about these two institutions of nuremberg municipal museums. It was broadcast on 16 January, 2011, in the "Frankenschau" of Bayerisches Fernsehen.
View TV film by Bayerisches Fernsehens
<http://www.br-online.de/bayerisches-fernsehen/frankenschau/fs-video-video-geschichte-ID1295256635362.xml>
- Lucas Kilian (1579-1637): Albrecht Dürer’s Temple of Honour. Copperplate engraving, 1617.
Collection
The Collection comprises the categories topographic prints, cultural history, artists' graphic works, and portraits. It owns a wide variety of graphic works created by artists working in Nuremberg between the 16th century and the present.
The topographic collection is categorized according to key words and includes extensive image material on the former Free City of the Empire, Nuremberg, and its rural surroundings. It illustrates the development of the cityscape between the late 15th century and today. The prints on cultural historical topics are also categorized according to key words.
The collection of graphic portrait prints, mostly of Nuremberg personalities from the city's time as a Free City of the Empire, is categorized clearly, both by the artist's name and by the name of the person portrayed, making it easily accessible.
In addition, an important special collection, dealing with the artistic afterlife of Albrecht Dürer and owned by the Albrecht-Dürer-Haus-Stiftung e.V., has been integrated into the Collection. It comprises one of the best specialist libraries on Dürer, with currently over 8,000 volumes.
Presently, the collections of both the Graphic Art Collection and the Dürerhaus-Stiftung are being digitalized and will then be available online.
Visits to the Graphic Art Collection
You can find more detailed information about visiting the Graphic Art Collection under
Opening Times
<http://www.museums.nuremberg.de/graphic-art/opening-times.html>
