The Exposition des primitifs flamands à Bruges (''Exhibition of Flemish Primitives at Bruges'') was an art exhibition of paintings by the so-called Flemish Primitives (nowadays usually called Early Netherlandish painters) held in the Provinciaal Hof in Bruges between 15 June and 5 October 1902. It was the largest exhibition of c 15th c Flemish art to date, consisted of 413 official catalogue entries, and drew some 35,000 visitors. The exposition was highly influential, leading to at least five contemporary books as well as numerous scholarly articles, and initiated deeper study of the Flemish Primitives by a new generation of

connoisseur A connoisseur (French traditional, pre-1835, spelling of , from Middle-French , then meaning 'to be acquainted with' or 'to know somebody/something') is a person who has a great deal of knowledge about the fine arts; who is a keen appreciator o ...

s. It also inspired

Johan Huizinga Johan Huizinga (; 7 December 1872 – 1 February 1945) was a Dutch historian and one of the founders of modern cultural history. Life Born in Groningen as the son of Dirk Huizinga, a professor of physiology, and Jacoba Tonkens, who died two y ...

to research and write his ''

The Autumn of the Middle Ages ''The Autumn of the Middle Ages'', ''The Waning of the Middle Ages'', or ''Autumntide of the Middle Ages'' (published in 1919 as ''Herfsttij der Middeleeuwen'' and translated into English in 1924, German in 1924, and French in 1932), is the best ...

''. The change in attribution of many important works (in table below) reflects progress in understanding the era by art historians since then, although it is an ongoing process.

Exposition

The 1902 exhibition was not the first to focus on the Flemish Primitives, although it was the first on this scale and to generate so much interest and scientific feedback. Among earlier exhibitions were the 1867 "Tableaux de l'ancienne école Néerlandaise" in Bruges, also directed by W. H. J. Weale; the 1892 "Exhibition of pictures by masters of the Netherlandish and allied schools of XV and early XVI centuries" at the Burlington Fine Arts Club, with 60 pictures; and the 1899 ''Netherlandish School'' exhibition at the

New Gallery (London) The New Gallery is a Crown Estate-owned Grade II Listed buildingHenri Kervyn de Lettenhove.

William Henry James Weale William Henry James Weale (8 March 1832 – 26 April 1917) was a British art historian who lived and worked most of his life in Bruges and was one of the first to research the Early Netherlandish painting (then better known as "Flemish Primitiv ...

wrote the notes for the catalogue for the painting section. The often erroneous attributions were those of the owners, but the position of the paintings in the exhibition generally reflected the opinion of the organizers, including Weale and Georges Hulin de Loo (a professor at the

University of Ghent Ghent University ( nl, Universiteit Gent, abbreviated as UGent) is a public research university located in Ghent, Belgium. Established before the state of Belgium itself, the university was founded by the Dutch King William I in 1817, when the ...

), regarding their authorship. The illustrated catalogue of the section showing manuscripts, miniatures, archive texts, seals, mereaux, coins and medals was written by Baron Albert Van Zuylen Van Nyevelt. A third section, covering needlework, gobelins, and the like, was catalogued by Isabelle Errera. The exhibition showed some 400 paintings attributed to the Flemish Primitives, many of which had never before been exhibited. The display of many works by major artists created the first strong opportunity to compare their styles side by side and revise earlier attributions, either from one painter to another or from "work by" to "copy of a work by". The exhibition was opened by King

Leopold II of Belgium * german: link=no, Leopold Ludwig Philipp Maria Viktor , house = Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , father = Leopold I of Belgium , mother = Louise of Orléans , birth_date = , birth_place = Brussels, Belgium , death_date = ...

, and visited by Crown Prince

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Alber ...

and Crown Princess Elisabeth on 3 July 1902.

Legacy

The exhibition showed far more of the most important remaining examples of Early Netherlandish panel painting than earlier exhibitions and sparked a lively discussion about the attributions of the paintings, started by Hulin de Loo: dissatisfied with the official catalogue, he published his own critical catalogue. The exhibition greatly improved the appreciation of Early Netherlandish art, which previously had been chiefly appreciated only by a few collectors and art historians, but also led to shifts in the status of the artists:

Hans Memling Hans Memling (also spelled Memlinc; c. 1430 – 11 August 1494) was a painter active in Flanders, who worked in the tradition of Early Netherlandish painting. He was born in the Middle Rhine region and probably spent his childhood in Mainz. He ...

, who had been considered to be the major artist of the period, was surpassed by the likes of Jan van Eyck and

Rogier van der Weyden Rogier van der Weyden () or Roger de la Pasture (1399 or 140018 June 1464) was an early Netherlandish painter whose surviving works consist mainly of religious triptychs, altarpieces, and commissioned single and diptych portraits. He was highly ...

. This has been attributed to the abundance of works by Memling at the exhibition, which made critics notice the lack of invention and overly serialized production he often showed, compared to the other masters. Because the organizers of the exhibition had a somewhat Belgian nationalistic view, art lovers in other countries sometimes reacted vehemently to the appropriation of "their" painters by the Flemish or Belgians. In France, there were calls for a similar exhibition of French Primitives, which was organised in 1904 and tried to reclaim artists, like van der Weyden and

Robert Campin Robert Campin (c. 1375 – 26 April 1444), now usually identified with the Master of Flémalle (earlier the Master of the Merode Triptych, before the discovery of three other similar panels), was the first great master of Early Netherlandish paint ...

, who were from French-speaking parts of the Netherlands; it also tried to cast Early Netherlandish painting as a derivative of Early French painting. The Bruges exhibition directly influenced some painters, who incorporated aspects of Flemish Primitive painting into their work. Flemish

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

Gustave Van de Woestijne Gustave Van de Woestijne (; 2 August 1881 – 21 April 1947) was a Belgian expressionist painter. He belonged to the so-called "First Group of Latem", a group of artists who worked in the rural village of Sint-Martens-Latem on the banks ...

changed his approach to portraiture, focusing more on the psychological aspects, while his colleague Valerius de Saedeleer was influenced by the landscapes he saw at the exhibition. In 2002, a new exhibition documenting the 1902 exhibition and its impact was held in Bruges: "Impact 1902 Revisited. Early Flemish and Ancient Art exhibition. Bruges 15th June - 15th September 1902, Brugge, 2002.", with a catalogue by Eva Tahon, Piet Boyens e.a.

Publications

Apart from the official catalogue, a number of books and major articles were written about the exhibition, including: *(Anonymous), ''The Exhibition of Flemish Art at Bruges'', in

Athenaeum Athenaeum may refer to: Books and periodicals * ''Athenaeum'' (German magazine), a journal of German Romanticism, established 1798 * ''Athenaeum'' (British magazine), a weekly London literary magazine 1828–1921 * ''The Athenaeum'' (Acadia U ...

3907 and 3908, 1902 (probably by

Roger Fry Roger Eliot Fry (14 December 1866 – 9 September 1934) was an English painter and critic, and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Establishing his reputation as a scholar of the Old Masters, he became an advocate of more recent developme ...

) *(Anonymous (L.M.)), ''L'exposition des primitifs flamands à Bruges'', in La chronique des arts et de la curiosité 15, 1902 *Giorgio Le Brun, ''L'esposizione dei primitivi fiamminghi'', Rassegna d'Arte 2 (1902) *

Pol de Mont Charles Polydore de Mont or Pol de Mont (Wambeek, 15 April 1857 – 29 June 1931) was a Belgian writer and poet. After his secondary education, in French, at Ninove, he went to the ''Klein seminarie'' in Mechelen. Here he wrote his first poems, ...

, ''Een paar opmerkingen betr. de Tentoonstelling van oude Nederlandsche schilderijen te Brugge'', in de Nederlandsche Spectator, 1902 *Pol de Mont, ''L'Evolution de la peinture néerlandaise aux XIVe, XVe et XVIe siècles et l'exposition de Bruges''. Book, Haarlem, 1903 *Pol de Mont, ''De paneelschildering in de Nederlanden gedurende de XIVe, XVe en de eerste helft van de XVIe eeuw naar aanleiding van de in 1902 te Brugge gehouden tentoonstelling, gezeid "Van Vlaamse priemietieven"'', Haarlem 1903 *

Franz Dülberg Franz may refer to: People * Franz (given name) * Franz (surname) Places * Franz (crater), a lunar crater * Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada * Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see ...

, ''Die Ausstellung altniederländischer Malerei in Brügge.'', in Zeitschrift für bildende Kunst 14 (1903) * Émile Durand-Greville, ''Originaux et Copies à propos de l'exposition de Bruges'', Bruges 1902 *

Hippolyte Fierens-Gevaert Hippolyte Gevaert or Fierens-Gevaert (1870, Brussels - 1926, Liège) was a Belgian art historian, philosopher, art critic, singer and writer. Life He had studied at the Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles in 1890 and won first prize for singing. Th ...

, ''L'exposition des Primitifs Flamands à Bruges'', in Revue de l'art ancien et moderne XII, 1902 * Henri Frantz, ''L'exposition des primitifs flamands à Bruges'', in Les Arts 7, 1902 *

Max Jakob Friedländer Max Jakob Friedländer (5 July 1867 in Berlin – 11 October 1958 in Amsterdam) was a German museum curator and art historian. He was a specialist in Early Netherlandish painting and the Northern Renaissance, who volunteered at the Kupferstichkab ...

, ''Die Brügger Leihausstellung von 1902'', in Repertorium für Kunstwissenschaft 26 (1903) *Max Jakob Friedländer, ''Meisterwerke der niederländischen Malerei des XV. und XVI. Jahrhunderts auf der Ausstellung zu Brügge 1902''. Book, Munich, 1903 *

Jules Guiffrey Jules-Joseph Guiffrey (29 November 1840 – 26 November 1918) was a 19th-century French art historian, a member of the Académie des beaux-arts. Career While studying law (he was graduated in 1861Sophie Mouquin, �Jules Guiffrey », ''Dictionnai ...

, ''L'exposition des Primitifs Flamands à Bruges'', multiple articles in "L'Art" in 1902 and 1903 *

Georges Hulin de Loo Georges Hulin de Loo (10 December 1862, in Ghent – 27 December 1945, in Brussels) was a Belgian art historian specialising in Early Netherlandish art. He was educated in his home city of Ghent where he attended high school and university, earnin ...

, ''Exposition de tableaux flamands des XIVe, XVe et XVIe siècles: catalogue critique précédé d'une introduction sur l'identité de certains maîtres anonymes.'' Book, Ghent, 1902. * Henri Hymans, ''L'Exposition des primitifs flamands à Bruges.''

Gazette des Beaux-Arts The ''Gazette des Beaux-Arts'' was a French art review, founded in 1859 by Édouard Houssaye, with Charles Blanc as its first chief editor. Assia Visson Rubinstein was chief editorial secretary under the direction of George Wildenstein from 19 ...

28 (1902); then republished as a book, Paris, 1902 * Georges Lafenestre, ''Les Vieux Maîtres à Bruges'', in Revue des Deux Mondes, 1902 *Georges Lafenestre, ''Les primitifs à Bruges et à Paris, 1900, 1902, 1904: Vieux Maîtres de France et des Pays-Bas'' Book * Wilhelm Martin, ''De Vlaamsche primitieven op de tentoonstelling te Brugge'', special issue of Elsevier's Magazine, 1903 *

Octave Maus Octave Maus (12 June 1856 – 26 November 1919) was a Belgian art critic, writer and lawyer. Maus worked with fellow writer/lawyer Edmond Picard, and they together with Victor Arnould and Eugène Robert founded the weekly '' L'Art moderne'' ...

, ''The Exhibition of Early Flemish Pictures at Bruges'', in

The Magazine of Art ''The Magazine of Art'' was an illustrated monthly British journal devoted to the visual arts, published from May 1878 to July 1904 in London and New York City by Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co. It included reviews of exhibitions, articles about art ...

, 1903 *Alphonse Naert, ''Tentoonstelling van oude Vlaamsche kunst, te Brugge'', in Dietsche Warande en Belfort, 1902 *

Claude Phillips Sir Claude Phillips (29 January 1846 – 9 August 1924) was a British writer, art historian and critic for ''The Daily Telegraph'', ''Manchester Guardian'' and other publications during the late 19th century. He was the first keeper of the Wa ...

, ''Impressions of the Bruges Exhibition'', in

The Fortnightly Review ''The Fortnightly Review'' was one of the most prominent and influential magazines in nineteenth-century England. It was founded in 1865 by Anthony Trollope, Frederic Harrison, Edward Spencer Beesly, and six others with an investment of £9,00 ...

, 1902 * Eugène-Justin Soil de Moriamé, ''L'école de Tournai'', in Annales de la Société Historique et Archéologique de Tournai, 1902 *

Hugo von Tschudi Hugo von Tschudi (1851–1911) was an art historian and museum curator. He was director of the Nationalgalerie in Berlin (1896–1909) where he acquired many important Impressionist works. Tschudi was born in Austria and became a natur ...

, ''Ausstellung Altniederländische Malerei in Brügge, Juni-Sept. 1902'', in Repertorium für Kunstwissenschaft, 1902 *

Octave Uzanne Octave Uzanne (14 September 1851 – 31 October 1931) was a 19th-century French bibliophile, writer, publisher, and journalist. He is noted for his literary research on the authors of the 18th century. He published many previously unpublishe ...

, ''The Exhibition of Primitive Art at Bruges'', in The Connoisseur, 1902 *

Karel van de Woestijne Carolus Petrus Eduardus Maria "Karel" van de Woestijne (; Ghent, 10 March 1878 – Zwijnaarde, 24 August 1929) was a Flemish writer and brother of the painter Gustave van de Woestijne. He went to highschool at the ''Koninklijk Athenaeum'' (E:Roya ...

, ''De Vlaamsche Primitieven, hoe ze waren te Brugge'', in Onze Kunst, 1902 *Medard Verkest, ''Tentoonstelling van Vlaamsche Primitieven en Oude Meesters te Brugge'', Tongeren, 1902 *

, ''The Early Painters of the Netherlands as Illustrated by the Bruges Exhibition of 1902.'', in the first issue of

The Burlington Magazine ''The Burlington Magazine'' is a monthly publication that covers the fine and decorative arts of all periods. Established in 1903, it is the longest running art journal in the English language. It has been published by a charitable organisation s ...

(1903)

Exhibited works

The works are listed according to their current attributions; where known, the attributions as given by the official catalogue and the critical catalogue by Hulin de Loo are given as well.

Notes

External links

*
Exposition des primitifs flamands et d'art ancien : Bruges : 15 juin au 15 septembre, 1902 : première section, tableaux : catalogue
'', by Weale, W. H. James, Bruges, 1902, on

archive.org The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Exposition des primitifs flamands a Bruges Art exhibitions in Belgium Early Netherlandish painting 1902 in art 1902 in Belgium