CODART, Dutch and Flemish art in museums worldwide

Bob Haak (1926-2005) Has Passed Away

On 15 May Bob Haak died at his home in Amsterdam, with his family around him. He will be cremated on Friday, 20 May, at Westerveld, Duin en Kruidbergerweg 2-6, Driehuis, at 12:45 p.m.

Haak’s contributions to the field of Dutch art are fundamental and legendary. He was one of the fathers of the new Amsterdams Historisch Museum and of the Rembrandt Research Project. His books Rembrandt: his life, his work, his time (1969) and The Golden Age: Dutch painters of the seventeenth century (1984), published in several languages, are among the best and most successful popular books ever written on Dutch art.

In his museum work as in his writing, Haak showed unfailing respect for his subject and for his audience. While holding on strongly to the basic concepts of his projects, he was also attentive to their smallest details. His scholarship was incisive and correct, and he conveyed it in accessible language and highly appealing visual form.

Bob Haak was an unassuming giant. CODART and its members mourn his passing.

Gary Schwartz