From the museum website, 12 January 2009
The Jacquemart-André Museum looks back at the work of one of Europe’s greatest ever portrait painters by bringing together masterpieces from all over the world in a special exhibition.
From the disciple of Rubens to the court painter of King Charles I of England, the Jacquemart-André Museum retraces the key phases of Anthony Van Dyck’s career as a master portrait painter by bringing together his finest works from the major museums of Europe and the United States. This tribute is the very first time that Van Dyck has been the subject of such an exhibition on French soil.
Inspired by the Italian School, Van Dyck developed a style that sits somewhere between that of his mentor Rubens and the work of Titian. A brilliant court artist, he is famous for his paintings of the English royal family, most notably Charles I. His mournful yet elegant gift for expression captivated the English aristocracy and led to the creation of a magnificent series of portraits of Europe’s most powerful figures, the Stuarts foremost among them.