Jan Brueghel

Jan Brueghel was a prominent painter in his hometown of Antwerp, a good friend and frequent collaborator of Rubens. What is perhaps less well known is that Jan was also an exceptional draughtsman. At the Snijders&Rockox House in Antwerp, some seventy works by Jan Brueghel are being brought together to create a unique exhibition. These drawings hail from collections held around the globe, including print rooms in Berlin, Paris, New York, Amsterdam, London and Stockholm, and this is the first time that they will all be on view together, presenting a significant cross-section of Jan Brueghel's authentic drawn oeuvre. To celebrate this exhibition, the publishing firm BAI, in collaboration with the Snijders&Rockox House, has published the catalogue Jan Brueghel the Elder - A Magnificent Draughtsman.The book includes a biography, essays by Dr.Teréz Gerszi and Dr Brueghel and his draughtsmanship and six chapters in which the drawings are discussed according to their theme: sojourning in Italy, riverside and village scenes, study-sheets, roads and travellers, views of the sea and ports and coastal scenes, and impressions while travelling. The authors also place Jan's draughtsmanship within the context of his complete works and the times in which he lived, in the process signalling relationships and making enlightening comparisons.

Jan Brueghel de Oude was rond 1600 een van de meest prominente en succesvolle Vlaamse kunstenaars. Als een vernieuwende en creatieve denker moderniseerde Jan Brueghel de Oude de Nederlandse landschapsschilderkunst. Hij bouwde verder op het oeuvre van zijn vader Pieter Bruegel de Oude, in het bijzonder op het vlak van diens tekeningen, latere schilderwerk en drukwerk. De tentoonstelling is opgebouwd rond zes thema's die het werk van Jan Brueghel de Oude zo kenmerkend maakten. Herinneringen aan zijn studiereis in Italië, rivier-, bos- en dorpstaferelen maar ook maritieme scenes worden in een chronologische volgorde gepresenteerd. Al deze taferelen komen tot leven door het gebruik van levensechte en geanimeerde figuren die - hoewel niet de focus van zijn artistieke productie - duidelijk veel meer zijn dan louter verfraaiing.

In 2019, we are looking back in Flanders and in Brussels at the crucial role that Pieter Bruegel the Elder played in the art-historical landscape of the sixteenth century. The 450th anniversary of his death is a good moment at which to rediscover the work of Jan Brueghel the Elder.
The Snyders&Rockox House is therefore taking a closer look at the drawings of Jan Brueghel I (1568-1625), son of Pieter Bruegel the Elder and brother of Pieter the Younger. Together with Peter Paul Rubens, Jan was one of the most successful Flemish artists of the first quarter of the seventeenth century. He was at home in every market - an inspired painter of landscapes, seascapes, still lifes, historical themes, hunting scenes and allegorical and mythological subjects. Jan is seen as the inventor of the floral still, but he was also an important innovator in the depiction of landscapes, in which his father's artistic legacy and his visit to Italy played no small part.
The art of painting is underpinned by that of drawing, by which the artist's talent and creativity can be measured. No previous exhibition has been dedicated solely to the drawn oeuvre of Jan Brueghel I. This major event is curated by Jan Brueghel scholars Dr Teréz Gerszi and Dr Louisa Wood Ruby, supported by Bernadett Tóth.
The exhibition will feature some fifty drawings and several paintings, loaned by leading institutions like the Louvre, Rijksmuseum and British Museum.

In 2019, we are looking back in Flanders and in Brussels at the crucial role that Pieter Bruegel the Elder played in the art-historical landscape of the sixteenth century. The 450th anniversary of his death is a good moment at which to rediscover the work of Jan Brueghel the Elder.
The Snyders&Rockox House is therefore taking a closer look at the drawings of Jan Brueghel I (1568–1625), son of Pieter Bruegel the Elder and brother of Pieter the Younger. Together with Peter Paul Rubens, Jan was one of the most successful Flemish artists of the first quarter of the seventeenth century. He was at home in every market – an inspired painter of landscapes, seascapes, still lifes, historical themes, hunting scenes and allegorical and mythological subjects. Jan is seen as the inventor of the floral still, but he was also an important innovator in the depiction of landscapes, in which his father’s artistic legacy and his visit to Italy played no small part.
The art of painting is underpinned by that of drawing, by which the artist’s talent and creativity can be measured. No previous exhibition has been dedicated solely to the drawn oeuvre of Jan Brueghel I. This major event is curated by Jan Brueghel scholars Dr Teréz Gerszi and Dr Louisa Wood Ruby, supported by Bernadett Tóth.
The exhibition will feature some fifty drawings and several paintings, loaned by leading institutions like the Louvre, Rijksmuseum and British Museum.