Information from the Museum, 10 February, 2010
Hans von Aachen (1552–1615) was one of the most important artists of Emperor Rudolf II. His rise to the Prague court lead him across Europe, from his native Cologne, through Italy (Venice, Rome and Florence) to Munich and Augsburg, where he worked as painter, draughtsman and designer of prints. The life and work of Hans von Aachen exemplify the cultural transfer between North, South and Central Europe in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries in a uniquely varied way.
For the first time, Hans von Aachen will be honoured with a monographic exhibition.
Even today, the elegance, humour and sensuality of his paintings and the liveliness of his portraits never fail to impress. The combination of the Dutch realism of his training and the Italian influences gained during his travels as an independent master resulted in a unique painting style. His presence in the important art centres of the time, the wide distribution of his prints, but also his friendly character all contributed to his international fame among his contemporaries. The exhibition will bring together around one hundred of the most famed paintings, drawings and prints by his hand.
The Aachen Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum, the Castle Gallery in Prague and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna cooperate in the realisation of the exhibition. First station will be Aachen – home town of the artist’s family – from March 11th – June 13th 2010.
After that the exhibition will travel to Prague, where Hans von Aachen lived and worked for a major part of his life. The last venue will be Vienna, where the most important collection of works by the artist in the world is kept.
The exhibition is the result of years of research by internationally renowned specialists Bernard Aikema (Verona), Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann (Princeton University, USA), Elišká Fučíková (Prague), Lubomir Konečny (Prag), Joachim Jacoby (Düsseldorf) and Karl Schütz (Vienna).
Publication
A full-colour scientific catalogue will be available in German, English and Czech.
Hans von Aachen (1552-1615): court artist in Europe
Edited by Thomas Fusenig with assistance of Alice Taatgen
30 x 25 cm., ca. 300 pp., ca. 200 color illustrations, available in a paperbound and a hardbound edition
ISBN: 978-3-442-06972-5
Opening hours
Tue-Fri 12-18 pm
Sat/sun 11-18 pm
Wed 12-20 pm
During TEFAF (The European Fine Art Fair, Maastricht) from March 12th to 21th, 2010:
Mon-Sun 11am-18pm
Wed 11am-20pm