True Crime: The Case of Philips Wouwerman will explore the meeting of true crime and art history.
According to eighteenth-century gossip, the Dutch painter Philips Wouwerman (1619–1668) was a plagiarist. It was said that the painter stole the drawings of the dead artist Pieter van Laer and subsequently used them for his own works. Wouwerman went on to become one of the most successful artists of his generation creating over 600 paintings.
Philips Wouwerman (1619-1668), Courtyard with a Farrier Shoeing a Horse, ca. 1655
Dulwich Picture Gallery, London
Featuring works by Wouwerman and Van Laer, as well as expert testimony from the past and present, True Crime: The Case of Philips Wouwerman will present the evidence and ask the visitor to decide: what is the line between imitation and appropriation, inspiration and crime? Is Philips Wouwerman guilty or not guilty?