The Mauritshuis, famous for its collection of seventeenth-century Dutch paintings (Think Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring), is presenting modern and old masters together this autumn. Masterpieces by artists such as Van Gogh, Monet and Dalí will be exhibited alongside highlights from the museum’s own collection. Dalí Meets Vermeer: Modern Masters Come to Visit pairs old and modern paintings in refreshing combinations, and displays one pair in each room of the museum. The confrontations will invite comparison and closer examination, revealing how painters of different eras grappled with the same artistic problems. Carel Blotkamp, Professor Emeritus of Modern Art at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, is the exhibition’s guest curator.
The Mauritshuis owns a world-famous collection of Dutch and Flemish paintings from the seventeenth century, including masterpieces by Dutch artists such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, Steen and Hals, Flemish painters such as Rubens and Brueghel, and the German artist Holbein.
This autumn, a number of these seventeenth-century masters will be joined by a selection of international modern artists. All of these loans come from Dutch museum collections and were created during the period 1860-1960. For example, Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring will be installed next to Dalí’s Couple aux têtes pleines de nuages, paintings that reveal surprisingly similar silhouette and coloring effects. Rogier van der Weyden and Francis Bacon both give their own interpretation of the Passion of Christ. For Rembrandt and Charley Toorop, the self-portrait represented a key artistic challenge, while Jan Both and Paul Cézanne both captured Mediterranean light beautifully in their landscapes.
Eleven pairs of paintings will be displayed throughout the museum, occupying one wall in every room. Mauritshuis Director Emilie Gordenker explains: “The interplay and combined effect of the artworks offers an opportunity to look at 17th-century painting in a fresh way. The exhibition will also demonstrate the richness of Dutch art collections, and has been made possible thanks to the collaboration of modern art museums throughout the Netherlands.”
Visit www.mauritshuis.nl for more information.