Maarten van Heemskerck

Maarten van Heemskerck, Saint Luke Painting the Virgin, 1532, Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem.

This is the first overview exhibition of the works of Maarten van Heemskerck (1498, Heemskerk – 1574, Haarlem) and is being held across three museums: the Frans Hals Museum, the Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar and the Teylers Museum. Each museum is showing works from a specific period of the fascinating life and career of this influential and successful artist to celebrate the anniversary of his death 450 years ago.

Visitors to the Frans Hals Museum will see the early works of Van Heemskerck displayed alongside works by fellow artists such as Jan van Scorel and Jan Gossart. His work ranges from expressiveexpressive religious paintings to lifelike portraits of the emergent bourgeoisie, warts and all. Van Heemskerck was a courageous painter with a realistic style that was innovative for his time.The highlight is Saint Luke Painting the Virgin (1532), which was restored especially for this exhibition. The intensive restoration work brought this impressive biblical scene as near as possible to its original form and personality. The large painting is split into two parts, as set up by Van Heemskerck more than four centuries ago. Visitors can now see the original background once more.