The recent opening of the new Carlos de Amberes Museum is accompanied by a temporary exhibition on female and male nudes engraved by Rembrandt. Eleven engravings are shown from the Spanish National Library and the Fondation Custodia in Paris.
Information from the museum, november 2014
The Carlos de Amberes Museum, inaugurated by His Majesty the King Philip VI of Spain last November 5th, shows masterworks by Rubens, Van Dyck, Jordaens, Teniers II, Frans Snyders, Jan Fyt and other painters, which come from the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerpen (KMSKA, Flemish Government), the Museum’s main lender. Some 10 pieces lent by the Prado Museum are also shown, together with a 16th century Flemish tapestry which belongs to the Spanish Royal Collections, and the “Martyrdom of Saint Andrew”, by Rubens, owned by the Carlos de Amberes Foundation.
The museum heralds a new era for the Carlos de Amberes Foundation, which started as a charity back in 1594, when Philip II of Spain was also Lord of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands. By 1987, it had shifted its focus towards artistic and educational philanthropic activities, and, since 1992, it has run an active program of temporary exhibitions, lectures, and research.
“What sets us up apart within the Madrid cultural landscape is our focus. The Prado is a magnificent museum, but it is also enormous and broad. People visit the Prado to see Goya, Velázquez, Bosch… But they will come to us to enjoy a careful selection of 16th and 17th century Flemish masterpieces. Because we are showing a sizeable collection of 40 paintings, we are also able to provide extensive interpretation on each of the pieces”, says Catherine Geens, the Foundation’s director
Apart from the collection, 11 engravings on female and male nudes by Rembrandt are shown, in a temporary exhibition up to 2nd February 2015. The engravings belong to the Spanish National Library and the Custodia Foundation, based in Paris.
“This is certainly an example on how fruitful a cooperation among various institutions who share the same interests can be”, says Ms. Geens.