Happy 500th, Hieronymous!

If you're into art history, or specifically northern European or Flemish art history, you know that 2016 is the 500th anniversary of the death of Hieronymous Bosch, one of the most innovative and imitated artists of the Renaissance. We have seen, admired, loved, and studied his few surviving works, all across Europe (and especially the Prado) and the US. When we heard, a year ago, that the Museum of Noordbrabants--in Bosch's home town of s-Hertogenbosch--was curating Bosch works from all over the world for a 500th anniversary exhibition, we knew we had to get tickets and to time our European tour of 2016 in order to see this singular artistic/historic event. And we did.

Just in case you forgot, this is one of the most popular Bosch
triptychs, his Garden of Earthly Delights, from the Prado

The Haywain, also from the Prado; Phillip II really liked Bosch's
stuff and bought several items for the Escorial; Phil owned the
Low Countries at the time

Anyhow, we drove to s-Hertogenbosch on Monday and camped at the nice Leygraaf inn/restaurant/camperstop. Next morning, we drove to the city park & ride, its "transferium," and took the bus into the old city, where the Noordbrabants museum is located. The city is quite attractive, but we were focused on the museum, and more rain was falling.

Alas, I have no photos from the exhibit. There was a no fotos policy, and the crowds were unlike anything we have seen since the Durer exhibit at the German National Museum in Nuremburg several years ago. Entries were timed and limited (the exhibition had been sold out for months), and thus it was possible to linger a bit and enjoy a piece to oneself. In addition to many, if not most of Bosch's paintings, there also were a number of sketches and drawings; Bosch is among the few early northern Renaissance-types from whom sketches survive. A particularly interesting CG-animation showed how some of the sketches, sometimes hardly more than doodles, became scenes in the paintings. Anyhow, it was very satisfying to see all the works together at such an historic occasion.

The Leygraaf, where we camped

The Noordbrabants Museum, original building

The museum complex wraps around a beautiful courtyard

Lenders and supporters of the exhibition (none of Bosch's
surviving works reside in s-Hertogenbosch, so this was really
a world-wide collaborative exhibition)

The town proud of its favorite son

Thus

Pretty (wet) street of restaurants

s-Hertogenbosch cathedral, late Gothic

Painted ceiling, glazed triforium

Crossing

Creepy eye in the sky

Expecting a major candle sale

Well after all, look who's in town

Just a replica, however

Main street, s-Hertogenbosch

Museumsplein

Sunday the 24th saw more rain on the way, so we headed into town on the metro and out to the Museumsplein on tram #5. Seems like every time we are at the Rijksmuseum or the Van Gogh, it is raining, often heavily raining. We have the same track record at the British Museum. Anyway, we spent the mid-day at the Rijksmuseum, seeing a few old friends, visiting ever more parts of the great museum we had not seen before, having lunch, and then venturing across the park to the ConcerteGebouw. As the skies cleared, we worked our way back to the central station, partly by tram, partly on foot, enjoying a last day in Amsterdam.

Rijksmuseum Hall of Biggies

The Vermeer room...3 of his paintings are there

The Hals room, rather more of his stuff

A beautiful new Hobbema...alone and lonely among the
Rembrandts

Night Watch watch

Moving right along into other parts of the museum, special
collections, etc; interior of collector's case, a miniature
pharmacy

Thus

My herring and beet salad (with herring caviar in creme fraiche);
Vicki's chicken salad was less photogenic

My mint tea; also counted as salad

Speaking of tea, a nice Meissen tea service, for six

The winner and still champeen, in my book, Bartholomeus
van der Heist's Banquet of the Crossbowman's Guild Celebrating
the Treaty of Munster, 1648

Moving right along in the special collections...the FK 23 Bantam,
Dutch-designed for (Britain) for WWI; the war ended before it got
into production; interestingly, the pilot's head stuck out above the
upper wing

1940-41 German chess set, figures are instruments of war,
nations invaded/to be invaded, along the sides of the board

Screening of Andor von Barsy's 1928 short Hoogstraat, in which
early 20th century urban life on main street Rotterdam parades
before the camera; fascinating as the camera focuses on people,
products, commerce, light and shadow...and then one remembers
that all this was destroyed, utterly, in May of 1940,  when the
Germans bombed Rotterdam into oblivion, to show what would
happen to the rest of the Netherlands unless it surrendered

The rain having lifted, we are now out in the park, at a famous
Amsterdam tourist site, and an artistic happening

Looking across the park toward the Concertgebouw

This takes some courage

Vincent would be so proud

Rijksmuseum from Concertgebouw

New bit of the Van Gogh museum

The Concertgebouw; finally got there and finally got in, but
only as far as the cafe; a concert was in progress; next time

Amsterdam's Tuschinski Theater, 2

Continuing the tour of Amsterdam's Tuschenski Theater...

Sadly, Tuschinski's story has a very disturbing end. In 1936, he went bankrupt. In 1939, his son died. In 1940, his four Rotterdam theaters all were destroyed in the German bombing of the ancient city. In 1942, he and the remaining members of his family were arrested and taken eventually to Auschwitz, where they were murdered among the millions of others.

Mementos from the opening night

Ditto

Larger view of the VIP room

Another lamp, among the distinctive decor

Stairs

Floor of main hall

Under balcony

Unforgettable ceiling lighting

Looking out from center stage

Ceiling again

Stage right (left?)

More illumination

Bust of Tuschinski

In the Moorish rooms

Thus

And thus

More Moorish

Ditto

Interesting art throughout

Thus

And thus

Lobby window from which Tuschinski kept an eye on interior construction 
and decoration