The Chodowiecki 300 Project
Born on 16 October 1726, Chodowiecki turns 300 this year, as marked by various exhibitions, publications, and events, coordinated under The Chodowiecki 300 project:
Das Projekt Chodowiecki 300
The Chodowiecki 300 project brings together museums, libraries, and universities in Germany and Poland for a commemorative program. It offers a fresh experience of Chodowiecki’s work through exhibitions, research, and digital formats, opening up diverse ways to engage with one of the most significant artistic figures of the European Enlightenment.
Works by Daniel Chodowiecki (1726–1801) can be found in print collections across Poland, Germany, and many other countries. His renown endures, and his art continues to inspire. Many institutions are marking the artist’s 300th anniversary year by commemorating him in a wide variety of ways. The anniversary program is as diverse as the locations themselves: alongside ambitious retrospectives, thematic shows, and cabinet exhibitions, there are conferences, special tours, activities for children, and more. The non-profit Chodowiecki 300 project grew out of the conviction that these various initiatives complement one another beautifully, uniting offerings from the 22 project partners under one virtual roof.
Exhibition | Chodowiecki 300: Between Art and Faith
Now on view at the Huguenot Museum:
Chodowiecki 300: Zwischen Kunst und Konfession
Hugenottenmuseum, Berlin, 19 June — 25 October 2026
To mark the 300th anniversary of the birth of Daniel Chodowiecki (1726–1801), the Huguenot Museum Berlin presents the special exhibition Chodowiecki 300: Between Art and Congregation, highlighting the dynamic interplay between the celebrated artist’s acclaimed body of work and his deep roots in Berlin’s Huguenot community. The exhibition showcases a selection of drawings, prints, historical books, medals, and decorative arts from the archives and collections of the French Church of Friedrichstadt. The works Chodowiecki created for the church navigate in a virtuoso manner between Reformed faith, enlightenment ideals, civic engagement, and creative freedom. His iconic images and works have left a lasting mark on the Französischer Dom and the neighboring Friedrichstadtkirche and have profoundly shaped the commemorative culture of the Huguenot community in Berlin and Brandenburg.
A special highlight of the exhibition are Chodowiecki’s original handdrawn designs for the architectural sculptures on the Französischer Dom from the arts collection of the Academy of Arts, which have returned to their original historical context for the first time. Although best known as a master of miniatures, Chodowiecki designed large-scale statues and reliefs featuring allegorical and biblical themes, forming a complex theological visual program and reflecting the identity of the Huguenot community at the time.
Valuable documents from the French Church archives complement the exhibition. Chodowiecki’s unpublished, handwritten autobiography (ca. 1782) and the minutes of the board meeting reveal tense negotiations between the artist, the church, and the Prussian state. The historical documents offer not only direct insight into the artist’s creative process but also possess a dynamic that feels strikingly contemporary, echoing today’s debates regarding art in public spaces.
Part of the international anniversary year Chodowiecki300, the exhibition is funded and supported by the Berlin State Office for the Preservation of Monuments, the Academy of Arts Berlin, and the French Church of Berlin.
Exhibition | Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki: Art – Family – Morality
Now on view in Coburg (near Nuremberg) . . .
Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki: Art – Family – Morality
Kunstsammlungen der Veste Coburg, 9 July – 25 October 2026
Marking the 300th anniversary of the birth of Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki (1726–1801), this studio exhibition at the Kunstsammlungen der Veste Coburg offers insight into the artist’s diverse body of works on paper. Duke Franz Friedrich Anton of Coburg (1750–1806) was an admirer of Chodowiecki’s work, acquiring over 4,000 prints and around 200 drawings. The exhibition focuses on personal sketches of close family members and collaborative artistic endeavors, as well as print series shaped by the ideals of the Enlightenment.
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