The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
June 8 – October 20, 2024
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) is presenting the Canadian premiere of Saints, Sinners, Lovers and Fools: Three Hundred Years of Flemish Masterworks, a major exhibition that showcases The Phoebus Foundation’s world-class collection of Flemish art. Couched in timeless themes, the show transports audiences to the Southern Netherlands during a dynamic period of social, scientific, economic and artistic development (1400-1700). Saints, Sinners, Lovers and Fools is organized by the Denver Art Museum and The Phoebus Foundation of Antwerp, Belgium, and presents masterworks by celebrated artists of the day, including Hans Memling, Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, Jacob Jordaens and Michaelina Wautier, among many others. The Montreal presentation is complemented by selections from the MMFA’s renowned collection of Flemish art.
“We are excited for the next chapter of our Flemish masterpieces at the MMFA. This captivating exhibition is a rollercoaster ride through a rebellious 300 years of Flemish history, guaranteed to captivate a new wave of art enthusiasts!” adds Katharina Van Cauteren, Chief of Staff of The Phoebus Foundation Chancellery.
“Presented first in Denver and then in Dallas, this show offers deeper insight into the different areas of Flemish art and deals with universal timeless themes. Flanders, this small but mighty society, was seeking to establish itself in a fast-changing, increasingly globalized world. Art played a crucial role in this, and it’s fascinating to see that the legacy of this period persists today,” says Chloé M. Pelletier, Curator of European Art (before 1800) at the MMFA.
The exhibition is laid out in seven sections and features some 150 works, including monumental paintings, sculptures, books, silverwork and maps. It begins with religious art of the 15th and early 16th century. In looking closely at these works packed with symbolism and delightful details, such as Hans Memling’s The Nativity, or Triptych with the Adoration of the Magi by Pieter Coecke van Aelst the Elder, the public will appreciate how Flemish citizens used images to interact with higher powers, build community and secure their legacy.
The next section is dedicated to portraits that celebrate the wealth and status of individuals and, by the same token, mark the dawn of the art patron. Among the works displayed are notably Portrait of Archduke Albert of Austria by Peter Paul Rubens, the Double Portrait of Husband and Wife Playing Tables by Jan Sanders van Hemessen, and a work by his daughter, Catharina van Hemessen, titled Portrait of a Lady. Following this section is a group of paintings depicting fools and foolish behaviour that showcases how artists used humor to both moralize and entertain.
Moving into the 17th century, subsequent sections highlight Flanders’ significance as a cosmopolitan centre of commerce and innovation, both scientific and artistic. Navigation tools and maps join
masterworks by Rubens and Van Dyck, international celebrities whose dramatic painterly styles spoke to the heightened emotions of a society plagued by war and political instability.
The exhibition ends in an immersive space inspired by art cabinets, elite collections of art found in the homes of the upper class during this era. Often depicted in period paintings, examples of which are on display, such spaces prefigure the modern museum and invite us to consider the range of desires – to connect, to marvel, to possess – that led to their inception.
CREDITS AND CURATORIAL TEAM
An exhibition co-organized by the Denver Art Museum and The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium, in collaboration with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
The exhibition is curated by Katharina Van Cauteren, Chief of Staff of The Phoebus Foundation Chancellery. The Montreal presentation is curated by Chloé M. Pelletier, Curator of European Art (before 1800) at the MMFA
IMAGES
Frans Snyders (1579-1657), Un garde-manger avec du
gibier, vers 1640. © La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers
(Belgique)
Frans Snyders (1579-1657), A Pantry with Game, about
1640. © The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium
Pieter Coecke van Aelst l’Ancien (1502-1550), Triptyque
de l’Adoration des Mages, vers 1530-1540. © La
Fondation Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)
Pieter Coecke van Aelst the Elder (1502-1550), Triptych
with the Adoration of the Magi, about 1530–1540.
© The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium.
Hans Memling et atelier (1433-1494), La Nativité, vers
1480. © La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)
Hans Memling and Workshop (1433-1494), The
Nativity, about 1480. © The Phoebus Foundation,
Antwerp, Belgium
Jan Sanders van Hemessen (vers 1500-1556/1557),
Portrait d’Elisabet, folle de la cour d’Anne de Hongrie,
vers 1525. © La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)
Jan Sanders van Hemessen (about 1500-1556/1557),
Portrait of Elisabet, Court Fool of Anne of Hungary,
about 1525. © The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp,
Belgium
Jan Massys (1509-1575), Rébus : le monde nourrit bien
des fous, vers 1530. © La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers
(Belgique)
Jan Massys (1509-1575), Riddle: The World Feeds Many
Fools, about 1530. © The Phoebus Foundation,
Antwerp, Belgium
Jan van der Straet, dit Stradanus (1523-1605), Amerigo
Vespucci redécouvre l’Amérique, de la série « Nova
Reperta » [Nouvelles inventions des temps modernes],
vers 1590. © La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)
Jan van der Straet, called Stradanus (1523-1605),
Amerigo Vespucci Rediscovers America, from the series
“Nova Reperta” [New Inventions of Modern Times],
about 1590. © The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp,
Belgium
Pierre Paul Rubens et atelier (1577-1640), Diane
chassant avec ses nymphes, vers 1636-1637.
© La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)
Peter Paul Rubens and Workshop (1577-1640), Diana
Hunting with Her Nymphs, about 1636–1637.
© The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium
Hendrick de Clerck (vers 1560-1630), Denijs van Alsloot
(vers 1570 - vers 1627), Les quatre éléments dans le
jardin d’Eden, 1613. © La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers
(Belgique)
Hendrick de Clerck (about 1560-1630), Denijs van
Alsloot (about 1570 - about 1627), The Garden of Eden
with the Four Elements, 1613. © The Phoebus
Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium
Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641), Marie, l’Enfant Jésus et
saint Jean, vers 1627-1630 © La Fondation Phoebus,
Anvers (Belgique)
Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641), Mary, the Christ Child
and Saint John, about 1627-1630 © The Phoebus
Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium
Pierre Paul Rubens (1577-1640), Un marin et une
femme s’étreignant, vers 1614-1615 © La Fondation
Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)
Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), A Sailor and a Woman
Embracing, about 1614-1615 © The Phoebus
Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium
Jacob Jordaens (1593-1678), La sérénade, vers 1640.
© La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)
Jacob Jordaens (1593-1678), The Serenade, about
1640, oil on canvas. © The Phoebus Foundation,
Antwerp, Belgium
Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641), Portrait de l’infante
Isabella Clara Eugenia en habit de clarisse, vers 1635.
© La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)
Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641), Portrait of the Infanta
Isabella Clara Eugenia in the Habit of the Poor Clares,
about 1635. © The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp,
Belgium
Peeter Neeffs le Jeune (1620 - après 1675), Gillis van
Tillborch (1625-1678), Couple élégant dans un cabinet
d’art, 1652 et vers 1675. © La Fondation Phoebus,
Anvers (Belgique)
Peeter Neeffs the Younger (1620 - after 1675), Gillis
van Tillborch (1625-1678), Elegant Couple in an Art
Cabinet, 1652, and about 1675 © The Phoebus
Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium
Hans Jamnitzer (1538-1603), d’après un dessin de
Giorgio Ghisi (1520-1582) et de Luca Penni
(1500/1504-1556), Apollon et les Muses, vers 1570-
1580. © La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)
Hans Jamnitzer (1538-1603), after a design by Giorgio
Ghisi (1520-1582) and Luca Penni (1500/1504-1556),
Apollo and the Muses, about 1570-1580. © The
Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium
Catarina Ykens II (1659-1737), Vanité au buste de
femme, 1688 © La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers
(Belgique)
Catarina Ykens II (1659-1737), Vanitas Bust of a Lady,
1688 © The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium
Jan Cossiers (1600-1671), Un jeune homme allumant sa
pipe (allégorie de l’odorat), vers 1650 © La Fondation
Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)
Jan Cossiers (1600-1671), A Young Man Lighting His
Pipe (Allegory of Smell), about 1650 © The Phoebus
Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium
Michaelina Wautier (1604-1689), Chacun ses goûts,
vers 1650 © La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)
Michaelina Wautier (1604-1689), Everyone to His
Taste, about 1650 © The Phoebus Foundation,
Antwerp, Belgium
Exclusivité de
la présentation
montréalaise
Lucas van Valckenborch (1535-1597), Un marché aux
viandes et aux poissons (Hiver), vers 1595. MBAM,
achat, fonds spécial pour l’acquisition d’œuvres d’art
non canadiennes et fonds John W. Tempest. Photo
MBAM, Jean-François Brière
Lucas van Valckenborch (1535-1597), A Meat and Fish
Market (Winter), about 1595. MMFA, purchase, special
acquisition fund for non-Canadian art and John W.
Tempest Fund. Photo MMFA, Jean-François Brière
Exclusivité de
la présentation
montréalaise
Adriaen Isenbrandt (?-1551), L’Adoration des Mages,
années 1520 (?). MBAM, don de M. et Mme Michal
Hornstein. Photo MBAM, Jean-François Brière
Adriaen Isenbrandt (?-1551), The Adoration of the
Magi, 1520s. MMFA, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Michal
Hornstein. Photo MMFA, Jean-François Brière
la présentation
montréalaise
Hendrick van Steenwijck le Jeune (1580 – vers 1649),
figures attribuées à Jan Bruegel le Vieux (1568-1625),
Intérieur d’une église gothique, 1614. MBAM, don de
M. et Mme Michal Hornstein. Photo MBAM, Jean-
François Brière
Hendrick van Steenwijck the Younger (1580 – about
1649), figures attributed to Jan Brueghel the Elder
(1568-1625), Interior of a Gothic Church, 1614. MMFA,
gift of Mr. and Mrs. Michal Hornstein. Photo MMFA,
Jean-François Brière
Exclusivité de
la présentation
montréalaise
Jan Bruegel le Vieux (1568-1625), Paysage du paradis
peuplé d’animaux et d’oiseaux dans une clairière, près
d’un étang, 1617 (ou 1615). MBAM, don de M. et Mme
Michal Hornstein. Photo MBAM, Jean-François Brière
Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568-1625), A Paradise
Landscape with Animals and Birds in a Wooded Glade
by a Pond, 1617 (or 1615), oil on copper. MMFA, gift of
Mr. and Mrs. Michal Hornstein. Photo MMFA, Jean-
François Brière
.jpg)
Exclusivité de
la présentation
montréalaise
Pieter Bruegel I (vers 1564 – vers 1638), Retour de
l’auberge, vers 1620. MBAM, don de la famille Maxwell
à la mémoire de Mme Edward Maxwell. Photo MBAM,
Christine Guest
Pieter Brueghel I (about 1564 – about 1638), Return
from the Inn, about 1620. MMFA, gift of the Maxwell
family in memory of Mrs. Edward Maxwell. Photo
MMFA, Christine Guest
