Royal Museums of Fine Arts (Brussels)

During the occupation of the Austrian Netherlands by the French revolutionary forces in 1794 , confiscation of works of art began in Brussels. The confiscated were stored and partly transported to Paris . The remaining artistic values ​​formed the basis of the museum founded by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1801 in Brussels, which first opened its doors to the public two years later in the palace of the Austrian staff . In subsequent years, some works of art from this collection were sent to Paris. All confiscated valuables returned from Paris to Brussels only after the deposition of Napoleon. Since 1811 , the museum came into the ownership of the city of Brussels. With the advent of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands under King William I, the museum’s funds expanded significantly. In 1835 , King Leopold I decided to create the Belgian capital's national museum of Belgian artists. Seven years later, the city and royal collections were combined and in 1846 received the name of the Royal Museums of Painting and Sculpture of Belgium . And a year earlier, a department of contemporary art appeared in the museum.

In 1887 , a new museum building was opened at the Rue de la Régence / Regentschapsstraat , designed by Alphonse Balat , which housed the department of ancient art. Collection of works of the XIX century. remained in its former place in the Habsburg palace. Only after almost 100 years the building was added to the museum for an overgrown collection of art of the XX century.

Flemish collection

The collection of the Museum of Ancient Art contains about 1,200 works of European art, covering the period from the XIV to XVIII centuries. The collection is based on works of Flemish painting, almost all Flemings are represented by their significant works. Among the paintings are “Annunciation” by Robert Kampen , “ Pieta ” and two portraits of Rogier van der Weyden , several paintings by Dirk Bouts on religious themes, Petrus Christus and Hugo van der Hus , several portraits and “Martyrdom of St. Sebastian ”by Hans Memling ,“ Madonna and Child ”and the triptych of the Leuven Brotherhood of St. Anne Quentin Masseys ,“ Venus and Cupid ”and two portraits of the Mabuse donors .

•  

  Robert Kampen The Annunciation . 1420-1440

•  

  Rogier van der Weyden . Portrait of Anton Burgundy. 2nd third of the 15th century

•  

  Dirk Bouts . Altar of Justice: The Court of Otto. 1470-1475

•  

  Hans Memling . Portrait of Barbara van Wlendenberg. OK. 1480

•  

  Hans Memling . Portrait of Willem Moreel. OK. 1480

•  

  Hans Memling . Martyrdom of St. Sebastian. 1470-1480

There are 7 paintings by Peter Bruegel (the Elder) , including the famous Fall of the Risen Angels , as well as The Adoration of the Magi, Winter Landscape with Skaters and a Bird Trap, Census in Bethlehem , Landscape with the Fall of Icarus (early copy), Wine at the Feast of St. Martina ”(early copy),“ Yawning Man ”(authorship is disputed).

Rubens’s creativity is represented by many canvases, including “Christ and the Harlot”, a study with the heads of blacks, “Adoration of the Sages”, “Carrying the Cross”, “Martyrdom of St. Livinia "," Martyrdom of St. Ursula ”,“ Landscape with the Hunt of Atalanta ”,“ Portrait of Petrus Pekius ”(?),“ Miracle of St. Benedict ”,“ The Fall of Icarus ”,“ The Fall of the Titans ”and“ The Coronation of the Virgin Mary ”. Canvases by Jacob Jordaens: “Praise of Pomona,” “ St. Martin Heals the Possessed,” “ Susanna and the Elders ,” “The Contest of Apollo and Pan,” “ Satyr and Peasants.” Canvases by van Dyck : “Portrait of Jean-Charles della Fay”, “Portrait of the sculptor Francois Duquenois ”, “Portrait of the Genoese lady and her daughter”, “Rinaldo and Armida” and “Crucifixion of Christ”.

•  

  Peter Brueghel the Elder . The fall of the rebellious angels . 1562

•  

  Peter Brueghel the Elder. Winter landscape with skaters and a bird trap. 1565

•  

  Peter Brueghel the Elder. The census in Bethlehem. 1566

•  

  Peter Paul Rubens . The fall of the titans. 1637-1638

•  

  Peter Paul Rubens . The coronation of the Virgin Mary. 1st half of the 17th century

•  

  Peter Paul Rubens . Massacre of the innocents. 1611-1612

•  

  Peter Paul Rubens . The wisdom of a victorious war and contention. 1632-1633

•  

  Jacob Jordaens . Satyr and peasants. 1620

•  

  Jacob Jordaens. Susanna and the elders. 1653

•  

  Anthony van Dyck . Portrait of Francois Duquenois. 1st third of the 17th century

In addition, the Flemish collection of the Museum of Old Art contains the “Wedding” by Peter Brueghel the Younger , “Pantry” and “Deer Hunting” by Frans Sneijders , “Drinks in the Yard” by Adrian Brauver , “Flemish Fair”, “Card Players” and David Teniers Still Life Younger .

•  

  Frans Sneijders . Deer hunting. 2nd quarter of the 17th century

•  

  Adrian Browver . Booze in the yard. 1631-1632

•  

  David Teniers the Younger . Still life. 1645-1650

Dutch collection

The Dutch collection of the Royal Museums is modest, but notable for the quality of the exhibits. These include images of children and several portraits of Frans Hals , “Portrait of Nikolaas van Bambeek” by Rembrandt , “Common Glass” by Peter de Hooch , “Meal” by Gabriel Metsu and “View of the Harlem Sea” by Jacob van Reisdal . The most popular exhibit in this section of the museum is the triptych “Temptation of St. Anthony ” (copy of an unknown artist from the workshop of Bosch ).

•  

  Frans Hals . Three kids with a goat and a cart. OK. 1620

•  

  Jerome Bosch Crucifix with a donor . 1480-1485.

French and Italian painting

French painting is represented by Claude Lorren with his “ Aeneas on deer hunting on the coast of Libya ”, Hubert Robert with “ Fountain and Colonnade in the park ” and Jean-Baptiste Greuze with “ Portrait of Georges Gugeno de Croissy (?) ”. The museum presents Italian painters of the Venetian school : “The Holy Virgin with a Child ” and “ St. Francis ” Carlo Crivelli , “ Martyrdom of St. Mark ”by Jacopo Tintoretto ,“ Divine Virtues ”by Jambatista Tiepolo and the Lead Francesco Guardi .

Lucas Cranach the Elder

In addition to Adam and Eve and Venus and Amur , the museum also houses the famous Portrait of Dr. Scheiring , which in Germany is strongly associated with a banknote of 1000 German marks on which it is depicted.

•  

  Carlo Crivelli . St. Francis OK. 1470

•  

  Lucas Cranach the Elder . Portrait of Dr. Sharing. 1529

The basis of the collection of the XIX century. The Museum of Modern Art is composed of works by Belgian artists. Along with the traditional works of Antoine Joseph Wierz , sculptures by Konstantin Meunier should be highlighted, many of which depict workers and miners. The museum houses the Salome by Alfred Stevens , the most famous representative of Belgian impressionism . The museum also features such famous works as “ Russian Music ” by James Ensor and “The Tenderness of the Sphinx ” by Fernan Knopf .

Among the masterpieces of the 19th century presented at the museum, the “ Death of Marat ” by Jacques Louis David , “ Virgil reading“ Aeneid ”to the family of Emperor Augustus ” by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres , “ Landscape of Ornan ” by Gustave Courbet and “ Portrait of Louise Riesener and Eva ” are especially distinguished. Kallimaki Katargi (?) » Henri Fantin-Latour . French painting of the late XIX century. represent the “ Portrait of Suzanne Bambridge ” by Paul Gauguin , “ Spring ” by Georges Seurat , “The Bay ” by Paul Signac , “ Two Students ” by Eduard Vuillard , the landscape of Maurice Vlaminck and Auguste Rodin 's sculpture “ Caryatid ”, “ Portrait of the Peasant ” by Vincent van Gogh (1885 ) and " Still Life with Flowers " by Lovis Corint .

•  

  Fernan Knopf . Art, or tenderness of the sphinx. 1896.

•  

  Jean Louis David . The death of Marat. 1793

•  

  Paul Gauguin . Portrait of Suzanne Bambridge. 1891

•  

  Vincent van Gogh . Portrait of a peasant

The museum has an extensive collection of works by Belgian surrealists . Magritte is represented in the museum with his L'homme du large, Le joueur secret, Empire of Light, Le démon de la perversité, Le galet and La réponse imprévue, Paul Delvaux - “Le couple” , "Pygmalion" and "Train du soir" - a typical plot of the railway for this artist. The museum stores Max Ernst 's L'armée céleste.

In the suburbs of Brussels Ixelles there are two museums of artists that are part of the Royal Museums. The Antoine Wierz Museum was opened to the public in 1868, and the Museum of Constantine Meunier has been included in the Royal Museums since 1978.

• Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp

• Official site
•   Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels