This is the first exhibition in the Netherlands devoted entirely to one of the most radical innovators of 19th-century painting: Gustave Courbet (1819–1877). The Mesdag Collection is home to seven paintings by the French artist: the largest collection of his work in the Netherlands. This exhibition features all of these paintings, alongside several remarkable works from other collections.
Courbet visited the Netherlands early in his career. He was inspired by the 17th-century Dutch paintings. In this exhibition, you will discover how these paintings influenced his own work. Courbet was one of the most significant representatives of Realism in painting. He painted life as he saw it: ordinary people, everyday activities and landscapes. In doing so, he broke the rules of his time.
The exhibition focuses particularly on the artist’s paintings of the sea. Courbet himself called them ‘sea landscapes’. These works are presented alongside those of Hendrik Willem Mesdag, the Dutch painter renowned for his seascapes.