Jan Brueghel the Younger, Allegory of Painting, c. 1625-1630, oil on copper, 49 x 77 cm. JK Art Foundation. Photo Peter Cox.

HERTOGENBOSCH.- Het Noordbrabants Museum in 's-Hertogenbosch (the Netherlands) has brought together around eighty works by five generations of Brueghels, in the exhibition Brueghel: The Family Reunion. Enterprising, innovative and world-famous, the Brueghel family played a pivotal role on the European art scene from around 1550 to 1700. Five generations of Brueghels produced paintings that are admired for their humorous and entertaining compositions, universal messages, and exceptional quality. The subjects range from wedding celebrations, familiar proverbs, and Biblical stories to awe-inspiring landscapes and studies of animals, insects, and flowers. This exhibition reframes one of art history’s most famous families by taking a closer look at connections between the different generations and devoting attention to the Brueghel women for the first time.

The works in Brueghel: The Family Reunion come from renowned collections throughout Europe and North America. Among the highlights are: The Magpie on the Gallows (1568) by Pieter Bruegel the Elder from the Hessisches Landesmuseum in Darmstadt, The Beggars (1568) by Pieter Bruegel the Elder from Musée du Louvre in Paris, Vase of Flowers with Jewel, Coins, and Shells (1606) by Jan Brueghel the Elder from the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana in Milan, Allegory on Painting, (circa 1625 - 1630) by Jan Brueghel the Younger, from the JK Art Foundation, The Netherlands, and The Drunkard Pushed into the Pigsty (1557) by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, from a private collection in New York.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Magpie on the Gallows, 1568, oil on panel, 46 x 51 cm. Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Photo Wolfgang Fuhrmannek

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Beggars, 1568. Musée du Louvre, Paris. Photo © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée du Louvre) / Gérard Blot

Jan Brueghel the Elder, Flower still life with jewel, coins and shells, 1606. Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, Milan © Veneranda Bilioteca Ambrosiana/ Mondadori Portfolio.

NEW PERSPECTIVES

The exhibition and the accompanying catalogue look anew s at the Brueghel family and the period and context in which they worked. Who were the powerful women in this family and what was their role in its fame and success? Among others, we meet Mayken Verhulst, the behind-the-scenes matriarch. One of the most famous artists of her day, she was also an astute businesswoman, teacher, mentor, mother-in-law, and grandmother to the first and second generation of Brueghel artists. We are also introduced to Anna Maria Janssens and Clara Eugenia Brueghel, whose art and matronage networks connected several of the most powerful artistic families in Antwerp. Additionally, new insights are presented about the impact of global trade and colonialism on the family business.

Anna Maria Janssens, A garland of flower around a medaillon with the Holy Family and a music-making angel, 1620-1668, oil on panel, 78 x 59 cm, © The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerpen.

SLOW LOOKING

The intimate scale, extraordinary technique, and abundance of miniature details in works by all five generations of Brueghel artists require a different kind of looking. Small-scale artworks, such as the jewel-like paintings on copper by Jan Brueghel the Elder and Jan van Kessel the Elder that are no bigger than a postcard, were originally displayed and viewed in intimate settings, often alongside other small objects such as coins, shells, insects, and jewels. Tiny figures in meticulously painted scenes of peasant labor, celebrations, and the Brabantine landscape by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Pieter Brueghel the Younger, and David Teniers the Younger allow the viewer’s eye to wander endlessly. The exhibition embraces this Brueghelian mode by encouraging a slower pace and offering intimate spaces for close looking and contemplation.

Jan van Kessel the Elder, Festoon, masks and rosettes made of shells, 1656, oil on copper, 40 x 56 cm. Fondation Custodia, Collection Frits Lugt, Paris

Pieter Brueghel the Younger, Netherlandish Proverbs, 1607, oil on panel, 116 x 168 cm. Stadsmuseum Lier

Pieter Brueghel the Younger, The Wedding Dance (Village scene with Wedding Dance in the Open Air), c. 1610, oil on panel, 40 x 56 cm, Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, www.artinflanders.be, Hugo Maertens.

David Teniers the Younger, Guardroom Scene with Monkeys, c. 1633, oil on panel, 41 x 58 cm. Private collection.

Abraham Brueghel and Jacob Van Oost I, Portrait of a gentleman in black Dutch attire with moustache and broad-rimmed hat, c.1650. The Phoebus Foundation.

Abraham Brueghel, Woman taking Fruit From a Bowl with Flowers and Fruit, 1669, oil on canvas, 128 x 149 cm. Parijs, Musée du Louvre Department of Paintings – Gift from André Pereire, 1949. Photo © RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Hervé Lewandowski

Het Noordbrabants Museum, 'Brueghel: The Family Reunion', September 30th, 2023 - January 7th, 2024