Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age

February 1 – May 3, 2009
West Building, Main Floor, Galleries 72 through 77

This exhibition is no longer on view at the National Gallery.

Overview: 49 paintings and 23 maps, prints, and illustrated books by some 40 Dutch artists were shown in this exhibition surveying the tradition of Dutch cityscape painting from its origins in 16th-century maps and city profiles through 17th-century depictions of Dutch cities, including genre paintings of daily life. Jan van Goyen's 15-foot View of The Hague from the Southeast, painted for the town hall of that city, was included in the Washington venue of the exhibition.

Exhibition curator Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. presented an auditorium lecture, City Views: Pride and Prosperity in the Dutch Golden Age on the opening day of the exhibition. Teacher workshops were held on February 21 and 28. A family weekend, "Weekend in the Dutch Republic," was held on April 25 and 26. A miniature Dutch canal house (conceived by Cookie Ziemba and designed by Peter Mattison), the imagined home of painter Pieter de Hooch, was on display in the Founders Room during the family weekend. A teen studio program, "Painting: Approaches to Perspective," also was held in conjunction with the exhibition. Inspired by the exhibition, concerts of music of the Dutch Golden Age were held during March. The Garden Café served a special menu of Dutch cuisine as Cafè Amsterdam.

Organization: The exhibition was organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague. Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator of northern baroque painting, National Gallery of Art, Washington, and Ariane van Suchtelen, curator, Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague, were exhibition curators.

Sponsor: The exhibition was made possible by Greg and Candy Fazakerley and Eijk and Rose-Marie van Otterloo. It was supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. The exhibition booklet was made possible by Mrs. Henry H. Weldon.

Attendance: 103,046

Catalog: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age by Ariane van Suchtelen et al. The Hague: Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, Washington: National Gallery of Art,and Zwolle: Waanders Publishers, 2008.

Brochure: Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age by Henriette de Bruyn Kops. Washington: National Gallery of Art, 2009

Other Venues: Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague, October 11, 2008–January 11, 2009