The Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid and the Mauritshuis in The Hague are simultaneously lending 25 highlights from their permanent collections to one another. In Madrid, an exceptional selection of seventeenth-century Dutch masterpieces is on display in the museum’s classical rooms, a new exhibition space located near the galleries dedicated to Dutch painting. The presentation offers a more comprehensive view of this extraordinary and productive century, including Johannes Vermeer’s View of Delft (c. 1660–1661).
The Thyssen-Bornemisza family’s ties to the Netherlands date back to the early twentieth century, when Heinrich (1875–1947) settled in The Hague after the Hungarian Revolution of 1919. His son Hans Heinrich was born in this city and spent his childhood there. In addition to establishing financial and business connections in The Hague, Heinrich developed a passion for Dutch painting, which became one of the most significant aspects of the family’s collecting history. His son Hans Heinrich continued this tradition, focusing his early acquisitions in the 1950s on seventeenth-century Dutch masters. In 1959, Rotterdam was chosen as the first stop on the international tour presenting his collection. Today, the museum’s collection of seventeenth-century Dutch paintings is one of its greatest assets, making an exceptional contribution to Spain’s museum landscape.
The works from the Mauritshuis on display in Madrid span the period from 1615 to 1705. The 25 paintings are arranged thematically across three rooms. The first is devoted to still lifes and genre paintings, featuring works by Ambrosius Bosschaert, Jan Baptist Weenix, Adriaen Coorte, Pieter van Anraadt, Gerard ter Borch, Gerrit Dou, Pieter de Hooch, Abraham van Beyeren, Pieter Claesz, Nicolaes Maes, and Jan Steen. The second room presents landscapes and figure compositions by artists including Pieter Saenredam, Jan Both, Rembrandt van Rijn, Frans Hals, Jacob van Ruisdael, Salomon van Ruysdael, Gerrit van Honthorst, and Hendrick Avercamp. Finally, the third room is devoted to The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man by Jan Brueghel the Elder and Peter Paul Rubens. Within this room, View of Delft by Vermeer is displayed in a dedicated space.
The exhibition is curated by Dr. Maria del Mar Borobia and Dolores Delgado.