Belgium and Luxembourg (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

72 BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG REGION BY REGION

MUSÉE D’ART ANCIEN

The Musée d’Art Ancien
exhibits works dating from
the 15th to the 18th centuries.
In the first few rooms are
works by the renowned
school of Flemish Primitives
(see pp102–103). As is the
case with most art from the
Middle Ages, the paintings are
chiefly religious in nature and
depict biblical scenes and
details from the lives of saints.
Many of these show deeds of
horrific torture, martyrdom
and violence, attended by the
perplexing nonchalance
of the elegantly attired
bystanders. A typical example
is the diptych The Justice of
Emperor Otto III (c.1460) by
Dirk Bouts, which includes a
gory beheading (a famous
miscarriage of justice in the
12th century) and an execu-
tion by burning at the stake.
At the same time, the detail is
exquisite and provides a
fascinating window on the
textiles, architecture and faces
of the 15th century. Also on
display are works such as

Lamentation (c.1441) by Rogier van der Weyden

Lamentation by Rogier van

der Weyden, city painter to

Brussels during the mid-15th

century, and The Martyrdom

of Saint Sebastian by the

famed Bruges artist Hans

Memling (c.1433–94).

Another unique aspect of the

section is the extensive

collection of paintings by the

Brueghels, father and son. Both

were renowned for their scenes

of peasant life. On dis play are

The Fall of Icarus (1558) by

Brueghel the Elder and The

Struggle between Carnival and

Lent (c.1559) by his son, Pieter.

Vase of Flowers (1704) by Dutch

still-life painter Rachel Ruysch

In the following rooms are

works from the 17th and 18th

centuries. A highlight of this

section is the world-famous

collection of paintings by

Baroque artist Pieter Paul

Rubens (1557–1640), which

affords a fine overview of the

artist’s work. As well as key

examples of his religious

works, there are some ex-

cellent portraits, such as

Hélène Fourment, of his young

wife. Of special interest are

the sketches made in pre-

paration for Rubens’s larger

works, including Four Negro

The several museums that make up the Musées Royaux
des Beaux-Arts de Belgique contain works of many artistic
styles, from the religious paintings of the 15th-century
Flemish Primitives to the Pop Art and Minimalism of
the 1960s and 1970s. All are very well set out, guiding
the visitor easily through the full collection or directly
to a specific art era. Each section is highly accessible, with
the two main museums divided into different sections,
each relating to the art of a particular century.

Exploring the Musées Royaux

des Beaux-Arts de Belgique

THE MUSÉE D’ART

MODERNE

The Musée d’Art Moderne

showcases Belgium’s art from

around 1850 onwards, but

includes work from beyond

its borders, especially in more

Heads, for his iconic

Adoration of the Magi (1624).

Other works of note in this

section are the paintings by

Old Masters such as van

Dyck’s Portrait of a Genoese

Lady with her Daughter from

the 1620s and Three Children

with Goatcart by Frans Hals,

the famous portrait painter.

Representatives of the later

Flemish schools include Jacob

Jordaens (see p103) and his

depiction of myths such as

Pan and Syrinx (c.1645) and

Satyr and Peasant. Baroque

and Flemish art are all well

represented in the museums.

Also on display are some

small sculptures that were

studies of larger works by

Laurent Delvaux, a leading

sculptor of the 18th century.

Most notably, Hercules and

Erymanthian Boar is a study

for the sculpture by the

stair case in the Palais de

Charles de Lorraine (see p65).

Works of the Italian, Spanish

and French schools are also

rep resented, notably the

Classical landscape painter

Claude Le Lorrain’s poetic

scene of Aeneas Hunting the

Stag on the Coast of Libya

(1672). Other works on show

include Vase of Flowers (1704)

by Dutch artist Rachel Ruysch,

who specialized in still-life

paintings of flowers and fruits.