On 1 October, Flemish Parliament Chairman Jan Peumans attended the festive opening of the long-awaited Bruegel exhibition at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. In addition to the close collaboration with the KHM, the Government of Flanders also supported this exhibition financially.
In 2019 it is has been 450 years that Pieter Bruegel (1525/1530 - 1569) died. For the KHM in Vienna the occasion for the largest monographic exhibition worldwide of this important painter from the 16th century Low Countries.
Only forty paintings by the master's hand were preserved. The KHM has the largest collection with twelve panels. The extraordinary quality and originality of Bruegel's work was already noticed in the 16th century. Habsburg art collectors tried to obtain Bruegel's prestigious works from an early age.
The collection of the KHM is supplemented with loans from numerous international museums and private collections. This includes works of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp and Brussels. The newly restored painting "Dulle Griet" (Museum Mayer Van Den Bergh Antwerp) is one of the eye-catchers of the exhibition. Flemish universities KU Leuven and Ugent collaborated with the scientific research on the artistic development process of Bruegel. The result is a sensational overview of Bruegel's complete oeuvre.
The KHM exhibition is an unofficial kick-off for the Bruegel year 2019 with numerous activities in Flanders and abroad. The Bruegel year is part of the Flemish Masters project of Visit Flanders.
General Representation of the Government of Flanders in Austria
