DUTCH ART IN ITALY: THE WORKS OF THE DUTCH MASTERS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM

From Hieronymus Bosch to Mondrian, and from Rembrandt to van Gogh: do you know that you can admire Dutch art in Italy?
Some Dutch masterpieces are housed in Italian museums and will make you have an amazing journey into Dutch art without crossing national borders.

In this post you’ll find a list of the major masterpieces of Dutch art in Italy and where to find them.
In the previous episode dedicated to Dutch art I had shown the works of the Kröller-Müller museum in Otterlo.

Where to find Dutch art in Italy

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WORKS BY BOSCH IN ITALY

Bosch in Venice – Galleria dell’Accademia, Venice

Triptych of Saint Liberata by Bosch detail

The most beautiful masterpieces painted by Bosch are housed in Venice: the “Visions of the World Beyond”, the “Triptych of Saint Liberata” and the “Triptych of the Hermits”.

It is said that the painter, during his journey across Italy stayed in Venice, and on that occasion painted these works.
The three masterpieces by Bosch are now part of the Gallerie dell’Accademia art collection and represent dreamlike, fantastic and unreal visions that often cause anguish and terror.

WORKS BY REMBRANDT IN ITALY

Old Man Sleeping by a Fire – Sabauda Gallery, Turin

Old Man Sleeping by a Fire by Rembrandt

This old man sleeping by the fire is probably an allegory of sloth, one of the cardinal sins, which lead human beings to live a lazy and indolent life.
The man seems to be plunged into darkness and if it wasn’t for the fire lit we couldn’t see him.

Self-Portrait as a Young Man – Uffizi Gallery, Florence

Self-Portrait as a Young Man by Rembrandt

Rembrandt painted this self-portrait in Amsterdam at the age of 28. It’s one of the several self-portraits the master executed during his life, around 80 years, through which the artist practised depicting his face and his feelings.

In this self-portrait Rembrandt wears a velvet suit and a heavy golden chain. His headdress makes him elegant and his look is self-confident.

WORKS BY VAN GOGH IN ITALY

Breton Women – Gallery of Modern Art (GAM), Milan

Breton Women by Van Gogh

The scene draws inspiration from a painting by Émile Bernard, who worked in Brittany together with Gauguin, a friend of van Gogh.
Bernard was one of the founders of Synthetism, an art movement that refused the idea of painting dal vero (en plein air or in the open air).
In this painting van Gogh follows Bernard’s theories but it’s a passing movement in the career of the Dutch artist. In fact, he soon abandoned Synthetism to develop a more personal style.

WORKS BY MONDRIAN IN ITALY

Composition n. 1 with grey and red 1938 / Composition with red 1939 – Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice 

Mondrian at Guggenheim in Venice

Mondrian is the father of Abstract art.
In his works the lines form squares and rectangles and intersect at right angles in a perfect balance.
When Mondrian did this work the colours on his palette are black, white and primary colours and puts on the canvas his idea to represent reality through balance among line, space and colour.