The Groeningemuseum is at present one of the best places to admire Flemish Primitive paintings. Set in Bruges, the most visited city in Belgium after its capital, Brussels, the Groeningemuseum owns the most important works by Flemish Primitives in Flanders since the closure of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp for renovation in 2011.
Hidden at a narrow street in the historical city centre of
Bruges, the Groeningemuseum is a treasure waiting to be found. A small,
beautifully decorated door is the threshold to a lovely garden which contains
sculptures and other items of artistic interest before the entrance to the
museum per se. Once one gets inside
the gates of the museum and enters the art exhibition, the first two paintings
one can admire belong to the great artist Jan Van Eyck. Those who have enjoyed
the Ghent Altarpiece – also known as The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb – will be delighted to see these other magnificent works by the artist. The first one
is the impressive Madonna with Canon Van
der Paele and the second one is the Portrait
of Margaret Van Eyck, which provides the viewer with information about the painter’s life,
for the woman in it was his wife. Besides his two original works, the Groeningemuseum also owns a late sixteenth-century copy of an Eyckian painting that is now lost: Portrait of Christ, which is thought to have been painted originally in 1440.
After this brilliant beginning, one gets to a few rooms dedicated to other greatly renowned Flemish Primitives such as Hans Memling, Hugo Van der Goes and Gerard David that will not disappoint the visitor. Some of the most coveted jewels of the collection are the Triptych of the Moreel Family by Hans Memling; Annunciation and Adoration of the Christ-Child by Petrus Christus (who is known to have been Van Eyck's apprentice); The Last Judgement by Hieronymus Bosch; and, lastly, Garden of Eden by Jacob de Backer.
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| Petrus Christus, Annunciation and Adoration of the Christ-Child (1452) |
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| Hans Memling, Triptych of the Moreel Family (1484) |
At the end of the highlight that is the Flemish Primitive painting section, the museum also presents some relevant Belgian works from the 17th century to the present, with an emphasis on Neoclassicism, Flemish Expressionism and post-war modern art. Nevertheless, the Renaissance and Baroque sections are nearly as precious. Frequently, there are also temporary exhibitions on display, often about photography or twentieth-century Modernist artists, not only from Flanders but also from Brussels and the rest of the country. When it comes to the permanent collection, though, the visitor will not want to miss L'Attentat by Surrealist artist René Magritte.
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| René Magritte, L'Attentat (1932) |
Therefore the museum is a little gem for fans of the Flemish Primitives as well as for history geeks, especially those who enjoy the periods of the Late Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance, but it will also be a fun visit for art lovers in general. However, you should bear in mind that the visit costs 8 euros, and the reduced price for students or elders is still of 6.50 euros, which can be expensive for those who just want to see the museum as one more landmark of the city.
References:
- Charles, Victoria. Art in Europe. New York: Parkstone International, 2014.
- "Groeningemuseum." Visitbruges.be. https://www.visitbruges.be/en/groeningemuseum-groeninge-museum (Accessed 27th January 2017)
- "Groeninge museum". Vlaamseprimitieven.vlaamsekunstcollectie.be. http://vlaamseprimitieven.vlaamsekunstcollectie.be/en/sources/museum-libraries/groeninge-museum-bruges (Accessed 27th January 2017)
- "Groeninge Museum, Bruges." Web Gallery of Art. http://www.wga.hu/database/museums/groening.html (Accessed 27th January 2017)
- "Last Judgement." Vlaamseprimitieven.vlaamsekunstcollectie.be. http://vlaamseprimitieven.vlaamsekunstcollectie.be/en/collection/last-judgement-1 (Accessed 27th January 2017)
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