Enfilade

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 Chodowiecki’s unpublished, handwritten autobiography (ca. 1782) and the minutes of the board meeting reveal tense negotiations between the artist, the church, and the Prussian state. The historical documents offer not only direct insight into the artist’s creative process but also possess a dynamic that feels strikingly contemporary, echoing today’s debates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.