World Culture: The Hermitage Amsterdam stages an exhibition of Flemish art

From September 17 2011 to March 16 2012 the Hermitage Amsterdam is staging an exhibition featuring a selection from the Flemish art collection “Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordaens. Flemish painters from the Hermitage” from the collection of the State Hermitage. The exposition includes 75 paintings and about 20 drawings of such grand masters of Flemish art as Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, and Jacob Jordaens and their contemporaries.

Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) will be a special focus of the exhibition, represented by 17 paintings and many drawings.

It is the first time that such a superb collection of Flemish art goes on show at the Hermitage Amsterdam. Many of these paintings presented in the exposition were acquired in 18th century by the Empress Catherine II. They belonged to such collectors as Pierre Crozat and Heinrich von Bruhl. Most of them were commissioned by churches and rich townspeople in Antwerp and other European cities. They were produced against the backdrop of the Eighty Years’ War and the Counter-Reformation.

Specially for this exhibition Hermitage Amsterdam has prepared an audio tour, a film and some interactive computer programs which cast light on the Flemish art collection at the State Hermitage, and the history of its origin at the museum. In the exhibition center’s hall the illustrated posters show the life of Antwerp of that time.

The catalogue issued to coincide with the launch of the exhibition is available in Dutch, English and French.