The museum building was commissioned by
Peter II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg in 1873 to house his collection and opened in 1876 as Oldenburg's first art museum. The building is in the
neo-Renaissance style decorated with a grand staircase with paintings by
Christian Griepenkerl, all commissioned by the Grand Duke. The Augusteum functioned as a public museum until 1918, when Peter II's son
Frederick Augustus II was forced to abdicate and absconded to the Netherlands with the paintings. In a series of sales a third of the collection was sold off, and the town was left with works of secondary importance. The curators have been buying back works since then, a crusade that continues to this day.
Prometheus stiehlt das Feuer vom schlafenden Zeus und Ganymed
Fresco an der Stirnseite des Treppenhauses mit Abbildung der „Kunstheroen“ Ernst Willers, Carl Rahl, Theophil von Hansen und Christian Griepenkerl im Selbstporträt
Landesmuseum für Kunst- und Kulturgeschichte Oldenburg; Dohe, Sebastian; Falk, Malve Anna; Stamm, Rainer (2017). Die Gemäldegalerie Oldenburg : eine europäische Altmeistersammlung (in German). Oldenburg.
ISBN978-3-7319-0447-2.
OCLC989931355.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)
Dielmann, R. (1986). Die Treppenhausgemälde von Christian Griepenkerl im Augusteum zu Oldenburg (in German).
Gradel, Oliver (1998). Das Augusteum in Oldenburg : Grossherzogl. Kunstmuseum und Ausstellungshalle des Oldenburger Kunstvereins (1867-1918) ... (in German). Oldenburg: Isensee.
ISBN3-89598-561-9.
OCLC40490157.
Landesmuseum für Kunst- und Kulturgeschichte Oldenburg (2003). Das Augusteum (in German). Oldenburg: Isensee.
ISBN3-89995-027-5.
OCLC54777761.