Press Release
The Noordbrabants Museum honours Hieronymus Bosch
with major overview exhibition in Den Bosch
Loans secured thanks to the most comprehensive research ever undertaken on Bosch
Den Bosch, Holland, 29 October 2015 – The Noordbrabants Museum in Den Bosch will stage an
exhibition dedicated to Hieronymus Bosch from 13 February to 8 May 2016. The major overview
exhibition of the works of Hieronymus Bosch (ca. 1450 Den Bosch 1516) is based on extensive global
research conducted into his relatively small oeuvre. Never before have so many works of the master
been brought together in Den Bosch where they were made.
Restorations: 12 panels on view for the first time in Den Bosch
Many paintings were restored following the study of the Bosch Research and Conservation Project,
receiving funding from amongst others The Getty Foundation (Panel Paintings Initiative). The 12 panels
will be on view to the public for the first time at this exhibition. The majority of the paintings will be
returned to their original glory in 2016. Their presentation will lend a new and surprising picture of the
updated oeuvre of Hieronymus Bosch.
Top works from all over the world returning to Den Bosch
Dozens of loaned works will come from prestigious museums all over the world. They include top works
like the Haywain from Museo Nacional del Prado (Madrid), the Ship of Fools from Musée du Louvre
(Paris) and four works of Visions of the Hereafter from Gallerie dell'Accademia (Venice), plus other
works from Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (Rotterdam) and the Metropolitan Museum (New York).
The exceptionally large number of works loaned to the exhibition will offer visitors a unique
opportunity to study close up the revolutionary and highly imaginative visual language of Hieronymus
Bosch.
Basis of the exhibition: Bosch Research and Conservation Project
Preparations for the exhibition at the Noordbrabants Museum got underway back in 2007. The
foundations for the exceptional works being loaned out for the exhibition were laid by the Bosch
Research and Conservation Project (BRCP), an ambitious large-scale international art history study
conducted together with the Hieronymus Bosch 500 Foundation and Radboud University of Nijmegen.
A team of international experts headed by Jos Koldeweij and Matthijs Ilsink spent six years intensively
and systematically studying and documenting virtually the entire oeuvre of the master Bosch
worldwide using state-of-the art technology. This produced collaboration with all museums with Bosch
paintings and drawings in their collections and paved the way for the exhibition. The long-awaited
results of the Bosch Research and Conservation Project provided the basis for exhibition in 2016.
The results of this scientific research are being published in a two-volume Hieronymus Bosch
monograph comprising a catalogue of his works and technical studies, approximately 1000 pages in
all. Besides the catalogue of his works, a public catalogue will be published, plus a highly advanced yet
user-friendly website where all the BRCP documentation can be viewed.
1516-2016: Commemorating the 500th anniversary of Bosch's death
In 2016 it will be exactly 500 years ago that Hieronymus Bosch died in Den Bosch. The exhibition is the
highlight of the National Hieronymus Bosch 500 Events Year being organised next year to mark the
500th anniversary of the artist's death. It is homage to the most influential mediaeval artist of Holland.
Once-only a majority of his works are returning to Den Bosch, the city where he was born as
Jheronimus van Aken, where he painted his masterpieces and from which derived his artist’s name of
Bosch.
The exhibition comprises circa 20 paintings and 19 drawings by Bosch, including four triptychs and for
double-sided painted panels. There will also be 7 panels from his studio and/or of significant pupils.
Roughly 70 works will show the context of this mediaeval art from the 15th and 16th centuries. For
the public it will be the first viewing of 12 panels restored especially for this exhibition and the
Hieronymus Bosch Year.
“Hieronymus Bosch is the most important and most original medieval artist our country has ever
produced. It is long-cherished ambition to get the vast majority of his works back to his hometown in
2016. And a great opportunity for a new generation to get acquainted with this work, which is unique
in every respect.”
Charles de Mooij, Director of The Noordbrabants Museum
Hieronymus Bosch: The Netherlands’ most important mediaeval painter
Characteristic of Bosch are the diabolical figures, well-known monsters, angels and saints that populate
his drawings and panels. His characteristic work, full of illusions and hallucinations, peculiar freaks and
nightmares, inimitably represents the major themes of his time: temptation, sin and reckoning.
Created in the period around 1500, the transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance,
Bosch’s paintings and drawings mysteriously reflect the relationship between the individual, his
surroundings and his creator. He is an artist who ranks among the absolute world masters, whose work
inspired the generations that followed and continues to inspire new artists to this very day.
Thematic arrangement of the exhibition
The exhibition has been structured openly spatially and arranged into themes. The following themes
will guide visitors through the exhibition: The Pilgrimage of Life, Bosch in ’s-Hertogenbosch (Den
Bosch), The Life of Christ, Bosch as Draughtsman, Saints and The End Times. Using technologies
employed during the scientific research, the reconstructions and visualisations embodied in the
exhibition will provide a unique insight into the creation of Bosch's works.
Festive 'Bosch 500' year in 2016 in Holland
Together with Holland as a whole, Den Bosch will celebrate in 2016 the return of the works of world
famous painter Hieronymus Bosch to the city where he produced them more than 500 years ago.
Visitors will be treated to a cultural event with a richly varied programme that has something for
everybody interested in the mediaeval master, his world and his work. The highlight of the year will be
a unique exhibition at The Noordbrabants Museum. In 2016, Den Bosch and rest of Holland will be
completely immersed in Hieronymus Bosch 500 year, with festive events such as special music, dance,
theatre and circus productions, exhibitions, thematic routes and festivals. 'Hieronymus Bosch 500': a
year full of inspiration and indulgence. To see the full programme visit www.bosch500.nl.
Den Bosch: one of the oldest mediaeval town centres in Holland.
’s-Hertogenbosch is the official name of the city, but colloquially almost everybody calls it Den Bosch.
Literally it means 'the Duke’s Forest'. In 1185, Duke Henry the First of Brabant granted it city rights
together with trading privileges. The oldest spot in the heart of Den Bosch is the triangular market
called Markt, which was also home to the city's most famous resident, Hieronymus Bosch. The innercity is the largest walled area in Holland. Within the city walls, Den Bosch has largely retained its
mediaeval structure, with its numerous winding and staggered streets with warehouses and
merchant’s houses along the Dieze river. Even today Hieronymus Bosch would have no difficulty
finding his way around the town.
Besides visiting the exhibition, Hieronymus Bosch fans can explore this old inner-city, including for
example climbing up the late-Gothic St John's Cathedral and visiting Markt with its statue of
Hieronymus, City Hall and ‘De Moriaan’ (the oldest brickwork house in Holland) or taking a boat trip
over the Dieze, the centuries-old system of all watercourses within the walls of Den Bosch. There is
also the Jheronimus Bosch Arts Centre for those who want to deepen their knowledge and experience
of the artist. Den Bosch, principal city of the province of North Brabant and a culinary gem, has already
been acclaimed four times as the most hospitable city in Holland.
Acknowledgements
The exhibition is part of the Hieronymus Bosch 500 Year and was made possible by parties including
the Municipality of Den Bosch, North Brabant Province, Ministry of Education, Culture and Science,
BankGiro Loterij, Essent, Rabobank, Gieskes-Strijbis Fonds, Fonds 21, Ammodo, Prins Bernhard
Culturfonds, KLM and The Getty Foundation.
Ticket Sales
Ticket sales start online on December 1, 2015 on tickets.hnbm.nl. Time slots have been organised for
the exhibition, please see attached fact sheet for more information.
– NOTE TO EDITORS –
For questions about and images of the exhibition please contact The Noordbrabants Museum,
Communication and Marketing Department, Neeltje van Gool, T +31 (0)73-877 815 or pers@hnbm.nl
For more information about the Bosch 500 events: T +31 (0)73-6875 690 or info@bosch500.nl