Seventeenth-century Dutch paintings are among the most cherished and sought-after works of art. Artists like Frans Hals, Rembrandt van Rijn and Johannes Vermeer continue to fascinate new generations of viewers by virtue of their astonishing quality – but they were far from the only artists active in the Dutch Republic: thousands of artists produced millions of paintings, and foreigners who travelled through the country were astonished not only by their quality, but also by their quantity and variety.

This exceptional boom in painting took place as the Dutch Republic came into being. In the seventeenth century, worldwide trade made it one of the richest and most powerful countries; Dutch commerce, science, military strategy and art were among the most acclaimed in the world. It was an anomaly in a Europe ruled by kings and emperors.

In the centuries that followed, the Dutch increasingly represented the seventeenth century as their Golden Age in which they had founded their country, forged their identity and created a specific type of painting. In the nineteenth century, in particular, this century was regarded as the cornerstone of Dutchness. The characteristics of the country and its people were purportedly to be found in the paintings of the seventeenth century; they showed a ‘Dutch view’ that could be found nowhere else in the world. Ever since, painters who were active in the Netherlands had to cope – consciously or unconsciously – with this heritage.

The exhibition ‘Dutch Views’ aims to both construct and deconstruct this narrative, by identifying its fundamental principles, exploring the ways Dutch artists dealt with this omnipresent history, questioning the supposed Dutchness and – most importantly – emphasizing the existence of multiple identities that are inescapably shaped by international developments. Some artists clearly wanted to show their indebtedness. Others, however, tried to find different ways, seeking inspiration in the fantastic or in the art of other countries. Migration was (and is) of paramount importance.

The exhibition is divided into a number of thematic sections to emphasize connections or lines of development over the centuries by means of comparisons. Proposed themes include Gazes, Inside/Outside, Object/Structures and the Spiritual/Fantastic. The exhibition draws on the rich collection of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and includes works by Frans Hals, Pieter Saenredam, Jacob van Ruisdael, Piet Mondriaan and Kees van Dongen.

In each section there are artworks dating from the seventeenth century to the present made by artists from the Netherlands. In some cases, there are also paintings from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries to illustrate the roots of specific themes, or artworks by international peers to emphasize international contexts. The exhibition ‘Dutch Views’ helps rule out certain hypotheses, advancing the methods of art history through an astonishing overview of Netherlandish painting with its idiosyncratic style, history and legacy. Beyond the artistic qualities of the works on view, it is above all an exhibition about the stubborn idea of national identities and the importance of cross-pollination.

The Recovering One

Alexander Hugo Bakker-Korff

1866

The Old Stock Exchange of Amsterdam

Job Berckheyde

c. 1670

Merry Company

Willem Pietersz. Buytewech

c. 1620

Breakfast Piece

Pieter Claesz.

1636

A Young Woman at Her Toilet

Gerard Dou

1667

The Dresser

Kees van Dongen

c. 1910

Head of a St. Bernard Dog

Otto Eerelman

c. 1880 -1910

Self-Portrait

Carel Fabritius

c. 1645

Portrait of Dirck Graswinckel and Geertruyt van Loon

Govert Flinck

1646

Polder with Mills near Overschie

Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriël

1898

Abraham and the Angels

Aert de Gelder

1680 - 1685

Still Life with Oysters, a Rummer, a Lemon and a Silver Bowl

Willem Claesz. Heda

1634

Portrait of an unknown man, probably a Protestant minister

Bartholomeus van der Helst

1638

Young Man Reading with Vanitas Still Life

Samuel van Hoogstraten

1644

Portrait of a Lady

Jan Adam Kruseman

1829

Self-Portrait

Dick Ket

1932

The Butcher

Jacob Maris

c. 1871

Composition no II

Piet Mondriaan

1929

Composition with colour fields

Piet Mondriaan

1917

Brasilian Landscape with Manoah's Sacrifice

Frans Post

1648

A Cornfield, in the Background the Zuiderzee

Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael

c. 1660

Winter Landscape

Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael

c. 1670

Interior of Saint John's Church, Utrecht

Pieter Jansz. Saenredam

c. 1650

"Who sues for a cow"

Cornelis Saftleven

1629

Winter Landscape with Farm Wagon and Skaters

Andreas Schelfhout

1864

Portrait of the artist's father

Jan Sluijters

1926

View of the Merwede

Hendrick Martensz. Sorgh

1644 - 1647

The great or Saint Lawrence's church at Alkmaar

Pieter Jansz. Saenredam

1661

Untitled

Johan Tielens

1920 - 1935

Dutch delivery room

Cornelis Troost

1741

Heath Landscape with Pine Tree

Johannes Tavenraat

1843

Dish with Eggs

Jan Wittenberg

1929

Oil Sketch for a Ceiling Picture

Jacob de Wit

c. 1727

Self-portrait with Brush and White Cloth

Carel Willink

1936

The Meal Among Friends

Charley Toorop

1932 - 1933

Still Life with Shells

Balthasar van der Ast

c. 1640

Natura Integra (Dragon Fight)

Willem van Konijnenburg

c. 1910 -1912

Court-yard with a woman and a child

Johannes Jelgerhuis

c. 1821

Hussars with people

Bart van der Leck

1912

Interior with a Woman at the Virginal

Emanuel de Witte

1665 - 1670

The New Generation

Jan Toorop

1892

Boy with a beret

Jacob Adriaensz. Backer

1630 - 1640

'Easy Come, Easy Go'

Jan Havicksz. Steen

1661

Portrait of Armand Roulin

Vincent van Gogh

1888

Computer structure 4A 1969

Peter Struycken

1969

Still Life with Odol Bottle (Hommage to Dine and Magritte)

Lucassen

1970

Adieu Painting

Ger van Elk

1975

Field 40

Peter Struycken

1979 - 1980

Perspective Correction, 4 Horizontal Lines

Jan Dibbets

1968

Untitled

Ben Akkerman

1979 - 1981

Girl with Hair in the Water

Co Westerik

1982

Dutch Gray

Ger van Elk

1984

Hyena

Kees Timmer

1960

Portrait of Berlage

Emo Verkerk

1988

Head of a Cow

Dirck Govertsz.

1626 - 1629

Hilton Head Island, S.C., U.S.A., June 27, 1992

Rineke Dijkstra

1992

Untitled

Rineke Dijkstra

1998

Self-Portrait

Kees Timmer

1972

Self-Portrait

Dolf Henkes

1972

Untitled

Gabriel Lester

2007

Aqua Azul, 1987

Daan van Golden

1987

Table (Series Pleasant Hours Fly Fast)

Lucassen

1968

Car on Roof, The Netherlands, Amsterdam

Joost Conijn

1996

Untitled

Jan Schoonhoven

1969

R 74 - 9

Jan Schoonhoven

1974

100 kms

Stanley Brouwn

1976

The Well Polished Floor Sculpture

Ger van Elk

1969 - 1980

Peanut-Butter Platform, Nr 19 B/sC in the floor covering series

Wim T. Schippers

1962

Wombhouse

Atelier Van Lieshout

2004

View of a Bay

Carel Willink

1935

Still Life with Pears and Lemons

Pyke Koch

c. 1944

Still Life with Potatoes

Vincent van Gogh

1885

Untitled

Kees van Dongen

1906

Landscape with rainbow

Herman Kruyder

c. 1913-1914

Bunch of Grapes

Adriaen Coorte

1705

Titus at His Desk

Rembrandt van Rijn

1655

The finger on the cheek

Kees van Dongen

c. 1910

The Earring

George Hendrik Breitner

1893

Springtime

Jeroen Eisinga

2010-2011

Luipaarden

Kees Timmer

1949 - 1950