Dallas, TX – December 14, 2022 – The Dallas Museum of Art is honored to celebrate the history and development of art in Flanders as the final venue for Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools: 300 Years of Flemish Masterworks. Organized by the Denver Art Museum in collaboration with The Phoebus Foundation, Saints and Sinners introduces over 130 works of art from The Phoebus Foundation’s rich collection of Flemish artwork that illustrate the remarkable developments in art production that took place in Flanders from the 1400s through the 1600s. The co-presenting sponsors for this exhibition in Dallas are Texas Instruments and PNC Bank.
“We believe the arts help make Dallas a vibrant place to live and work and are a key building block of a strong community,” said Andy Smith, TI Director of Giving and Volunteering. “As such TI is proud to sponsor this extraordinary exhibition of Flemish masterworks, an example of how the DMA continues to curate unique experiences for the North Texas community and those who visit the Dallas area. We hope that the cultural and societal subjects depicted in the various artworks from more than seven centuries ago will bring enrichment, discovery and insight into similarities to today for those who experience the exhibit.”
“PNC Bank has a legacy of investing in the communities we serve through broad support of the arts, as we understand and advocate for the economic, social and civic impacts a thriving arts and culture community brings to our city and region,” said Brendan McGuire, PNC Regional President for North Texas. “Expanding PNC’s strategic partnership with the Dallas Museum of Art is in support of this mission, but also designed to help generate increased local access to globally renowned art, which is fundamental to our work in this space across North Texas.”
This traveling exhibition explores a rich repertoire of themes that reflect the societal changes of the time, while also adeptly mirroring contemporary circumstances surrounding the human condition.
This unique presentation of artwork engages visitors in the detailed and sometimes passionate storytelling of Flemish masters such as Hans Memling, Jan Gossaert, Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob Jordaens and Anthony van Dyck, among others.
“We are thrilled to bring the Phoebus Foundation’s stunning collection of Flemish masterworks to our Dallas community. This period of production was a defining and pivotal moment, not only in the development of medieval, Renaissance and Baroque art, but in the greater scheme of cultural, scientific and political evolution in Europe,” comments Dr. Nicole R. Myers, interim chief curator and The Barbara Thomas Lemmon senior curator of European Art. “Stepping into this exhibition truly feels like you’re embarking on a journey through time. We’re excited for visitors to peer through this window to the past, while also seeing reflections of their own ever-changing world.”
Saints and Sinners guides the viewer through six thematic sections. Opening with the new art style developed by medieval Flemish artists, the first section, “God Is in the Details,” introduces religious subjects as a principal focus for artists of the time. Works including Hans Memling’s The Nativity and Pieter Coecke van Aelst’s Triptych with The Adoration of the Magi showcase the extraordinary attention to detail and devotional imagery that artists and patrons favored at the time. Holy figures were now presented as flesh-and-blood human beings in familiar, contemporary settings that heightened empathy and connection between individuals and religious figures.
The following section, titled "From God to the Individual," aims to show the rise of individual awareness and confidence, resulting in the creation of ambitious portraits celebrating the sitters' wealth and status in society. Subjects of portraiture are immortalized in these compositions, allowing them to remain eternally pious through the depiction of their holy reverence.
The section “Exploring the World” centers on the belief, embraced by Flemings at the time, that to understand the mysteries of the divine, one had to explore the wider world. As every detail of creation deserved to be examined, smelled, described and studied, countless scientific disciplines developed. Southern Netherlandish artists responded to these developments, incorporating new discoveries into their techniques and subject matter. Nature became a playground for ever-more curious scientists, who developed microscopes and telescopes, compasses and quadrants, as well as for artists, who found in it endless motifs for their subjects.
From there, visitors will encounter a group of paintings dedicated to the theme of human folly. Titled "The Fool in the Mirror,” this section presents images and compositions popular at the time: whimsical, sarcastic and poignant in their critique of human arrogance. These scenes, often hilarious and full of jokes, pranks and witty double meanings, were meant to shine a light on the greed, lust and other follies of human life and, ultimately, discourage from a sinful existence.
In “The Triumph of Emotion,” the historic background of the Eighty Years War (1568–1648), fought between the Netherlands and Spain, will help visitors understand the reasons why artists such as Rubens and Van Dyck adopted an emotional approach to painting. In these works, religious scenes were meant to move and overwhelm the viewer, thus securing allegiance to the Catholic faith, embraced by the Spanish rulers.
The final section, titled "The Pursuit of Wonder," explores the concept of the “Wunderkammer,” or “Room of Wonders.” Collectors sought to gather and organize what were then considered “curiosities”: memento moris, sculptural studies of fauna, fashionable art, rare antiquities and so on. The objects they selected were representative of both the known and unknown world. They were tangible evidence of a collector’s success and a means of showing off their newly achieved status.
“Whether you are looking for insight into cultural developments in Flanders, are an admirer of the fine detailing of Renaissance portraits and the bold brushwork of Baroque artists, or simply want to enjoy a playful yet poignant array of arts, this exhibition offers something to each and every visitor,” says Dr. Agustín Arteaga, the DMA’s Eugene McDermott director. “The DMA is a space of wonder and discovery where art comes alive, and we hope that Saints and Sinners will awaken the inner curiosity of our visitors, leaving them eager to discover more about their own world.”
Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools: 300 Years of Flemish Masterworks will be on view in the DMA’s Chilton Gallery I from Feb. 19 through June 25, 2023. The exhibition curator is Dr. Katharina Van Cauteren, Ph.D., chief of staff of The Phoebus Foundation. The coordinating curator at the Dallas Museum of Art is Dr. Nicole R. Myers, interim chief curator and The Barbara Thomas Lemmon senior curator of European Art.
Support
Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools: 300 Years of Flemish Masterworks is co-organized by the Denver Art Museum and The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp (Belgium).
The exhibition is co-presented by Texas Instruments and PNC Bank and is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. The Dallas Museum of Art is supported, in part, by the generosity of DMA Members and donors, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Texas Commission on the Arts and the citizens of Dallas through the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture.
About the Dallas Museum of Art
Established in 1903, the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) is among the 10 largest art museums in the country. With a free general admission policy and community outreach efforts, the DMA is distinguished by its commitment to research, innovation and public engagement. At the heart of the Museum and its programs is its global collection, which encompasses 25,000 works and spans 5,000 years of history, representing a full range of world cultures. Located in the nation’s largest arts district, the Museum acts as a catalyst for community creativity, engaging people of all ages and backgrounds with a diverse spectrum of programming, from exhibitions and lectures to concerts, literary events and dramatic and dance presentations. The DMA is an Open Access institution, allowing all works believed to be in the public domain to be freely available for downloading, sharing, repurposing and remixing without restriction. For more information, visit dma.org.
The Dallas Museum of Art is supported, in part, by the generosity of DMA Members and donors, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Texas Commission on the Arts and the citizens of Dallas through the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture.
The Dallas Museum of Art is supported, in part, by the generosity of DMA Members and donors, the citizens of Dallas through the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.
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