See David Hockney and Rembrandt Landscapes in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin

The Three Trees near Thixendale painted by David Hockney in four seasons and a rediscovered Rembrandt are the core of the Landscapes in Dialogue special exhibition in the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin from 9 April to 10 July 2022.

David Hockney, Three Trees near Thixendale, Spring
Three Trees near Thixendale, Spring © David Hockney, Foto: Richard Schmidt

The Three Trees near Thixendale painted by David Hockney in a cycle of four large paintings, each representing a season, are at the center of the “David Hockney – Landscapes in Dialogue” special exhibition in the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin in 2022. Hockney’s monumental landscape cycle is displayed in relation to a selection of landscapes from the collections of the Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin including works by Van Gogh, Constable, Koninck, and Ruisdael. Of particular note is Landscape with Arched Bridge — after three decades again reattributed to Rembrandt van Rijn. Buy skip-the-line tickets online — time-slot reservations are currently required to visit the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.

Update 2024: Most Berlin state museums are open and currently, time-slot reservations are essential only for the Neues Museum and for major exhibitions. However, it is sensible to book timeslots for the Alte Nationalgalerie, Gemäldegalerie, Neue Nationalgalerie, Neues Museum, and Das Panorama. (The Pergamon Museum itself is closed until 2027!) Timeslots are currently released only around four weeks in advance but earlier for blockbuster shows. Buy tickets and make reservations online at GetYourGuide or at SMB. Online tickets for museums without timeslot reservations are skip-the-line — go directly to the entrance to scan the ticket. Many multiple-museum tickets and passes are again accepted, including KulturforumMuseumsinsel, and the excellent value 3-day Berlin Museum Pass.

David Hockney – Landscapes in Dialogue Exhibition in Berlin

David Hockney, Three Trees near Thixendale, Summer,
Three Trees near Thixendale, Summer © David Hockney, Foto: Richard Schmidt

David Hockney – Landscapes in Dialogue — The “Four Seasons” of the Würth Collection in Berlin (David Hockney – Landschaften im Dialog — Die „Vier Jahreszeiten“ der Sammlung Würth zu Gast in Berlin) is a special exhibition in the Wandelhalle of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin from 9 April to 10 July 2022. It is one of the art highlights of the year in the German capital in 2022. The exhibition is included in regular Gemäldegalerie tickets — time-slot reservations are currently necessary to visit the paintings gallery.

Vincent van Gogh, Ernte in der Provence (für Émile Bernard), 1888,
Van Gogh, Harvest in Provence © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett / Dietmar Katz

The exhibition places Hockney’s monumental landscape cycle Three Trees near Thixendale (2007-2008) from the Würth Collection in relation to a selection of landscape paintings from the collections of the Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin. Works from the Alte Nationalgalerie, the Gemäldegalerie, and the Kupferstichkabinett thus provide an insight into the diversity and richness of the genre of landscape painting, which was reprised in David Hockney’s large-scale paintings. 

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Three Trees near Thixendale by David Hockney in Berlin

David Hockney, Three Trees near Thixendale, Autumn
Three Trees near Thixendale, Autumn © David Hockney, Jonathan Wilkinson

David Hockney is considered one of the most influential living artists. With the large-format Three Trees near Thixendale from the Würth Collection, Hockney turned his attention to the atmospheric changes that occur in nature during the seasonal cycle in his native Britain. This monumental landscape cycle was painted in the four seasons from 2007 to 2008. Each of these oil on canvas paintings measures 183 by 488 cm (ca. 72 by 192 inches or 6 by 16 feet).

Philips Koninck, Holländische Flachlandschaft
Philips Koninck, Holländische Flachlandschaft © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie / Jörg P. Anders

These works are displayed in dialogue with a selection of landscapes from the collections of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin in order to highlight Hockney’s engagement with the art of previous centuries and the parallels to great models such as Rembrandt, Constable, and van Gogh. 

John Constable, Higham Village am Flusse Stour
John Constable, Higham Village am Flusse Stour © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Nationalgalerie / Andres Kilger

In addition to paintings by masters such as Jacob van Ruisdael, Meindert Hobbema, and Richard Wilson, the special exhibition also shows works by Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Vincent van Gogh and John Constable, whose landscapes served as models for Hockney. The juxtaposition reveals parallels to the older works, whose technique, composition, and perspective, but also their atmosphere and mood were meticulously studied by Hockney. The exhibition brings the works into a dialogue with each other for the first time. The show not only bears witness to the importance of the landscape painting genre, its popularity, and its influence to this day but also reveals its complexity and multifaceted nature. 

Rembrandt Landscape with Arched Bridge in Berlin Gemäldegalerie
Rembrandt, Landscape with Arched Bridge © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie / Christoph Schmidt

The exhibition also includes the recently rediscovered Rembrandt work Landscape with Arched Bridge. For over 30 years, the painting was considered to be the work of Rembrandt’s student Govert Flinck. According to the latest research, however, the work is by the master himself and now completes the globally important Rembrandt holdings of the Gemäldegalerie, which now include 20 works. 

See a Rediscovered Rembrandt Landscape in the Gemäldegalerie for more on the history and research on this special painting.

About David Hockney

David Hockney, Three Trees near Thixendale, Winter, 2007,
Three Trees near Thixendale, Winter © David Hockney, Foto: Richard Schmidt

After studying at the Royal College of Art in London, David Hockney (* 1937 Bradford) first traveled to California in 1964, which was to become his home for many years. His experiments with acrylic paint and Polaroids resulted in his series of iconic swimming pool paintings, which caused an international sensation. Through his constant exploration of a variety of techniques, from lithography to photo collage, and his interest in a wide range of art forms, from set design to landscape painting, Hockney continues to influence and impact many fields today with his joy of experimentation. 

In the 1990s, the Hockney began to engage with the nature of his British homeland Yorkshire. In accordance with his view that photography could not capture the beauty of Yorkshire, he declared war on the camera and at the same time used it as a technical tool to realize his ideas on a large scale. His recent landscape paintings blend traditional techniques and digital possibilities. They reveal his preoccupation with the art of previous centuries as well as his own observation and depiction of the North American and English landscape. In an exploration of the artists that preceded him, Hockney reexamines the question of the realism of these landscape depictions as well as our habits of seeing and perceiving the world around us. 

Gemäldegalerie Opening Hours and Tickets

See Visit the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin for practical information including opening hours and tickets. The Hockney exhibition is included in the regular museum tickets.

See also Highlights of the Collection and the Italian Masterpieces for more on the permanent collection of the Gemäldegalerie and the rediscovered Rembrandt landscape that will be on display in the David Hockney exhibition.

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More on the Berlin State Museums (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin):

Note: Most Berlin museums and similar sights are open in 2024. Timeslot reservations are essential for only the Neues Museum but sensible (and possibly essential in busy periods!) for the Alte Nationalgalerie, Gemäldegalerie, Neue Nationalgalerie, and Pergamon – Das Panorama. (The Pergamon Museum itself is closed until 2027!). Timeslots are released only around four weeks in advance. Tickets are available from GetYourGuide, which seems to have timeslots available when SMB has already sold out. Many passes and multi-museum tickets are again available (Kulturforum / Museums Island). Individual museum ticket prices range from €6 to €14 (€20 for special exhibitions). Online tickets are skip-the-line — go directly to the gallery entrance to scan the code but pick up free audioguides first.

For more general information on the Berlin State Museums:

News & Temporary Exhibitions:

More Museum Reviews and Museum-Specific Information:

Previous Temporary Exhibitions:

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About the author:

Henk Bekker

Henk Bekker is a freelance travel writer with over 20 years of experience writing online. He is particularly interested in history, art, and culture. He has lived most of his adult life in Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark. In addition to European-Traveler.com, he also owns a travel website on the Lake Geneva region of Switzerland and maintains statistical websites on car sales and classic car auction prices. Henk holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and an MSc in Development Finance from the University of London.