Saints, Sinners, Lovers and Fools: Three Hundred Years of Flemish Masterworks

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts 

June 8 – October 20, 2024 

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) is presenting the Canadian premiere  of Saints, Sinners, Lovers and Fools: Three Hundred Years of Flemish Masterworks,  a major exhibition that showcases The Phoebus Foundation’s world-class collection  of Flemish art. Couched in timeless themes, the show transports audiences to the  Southern Netherlands during a dynamic period of social, scientific, economic and  artistic development (1400-1700). Saints, Sinners, Lovers and Fools is organized  by the Denver Art Museum and The Phoebus Foundation of Antwerp, Belgium,  and presents masterworks by celebrated artists of the day, including Hans Memling,  Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, Jacob Jordaens and Michaelina Wautier,  among many others. The Montreal presentation is complemented by selections  from the MMFA’s renowned collection of Flemish art. 

“We are excited for the next chapter of our Flemish masterpieces at the MMFA. This captivating exhibition is a rollercoaster ride through a rebellious 300 years of Flemish history, guaranteed to  captivate a new wave of art enthusiasts!” adds Katharina Van Cauteren, Chief of Staff of The Phoebus  Foundation Chancellery. 

“Presented first in Denver and then in Dallas, this show offers deeper insight into the different areas  of Flemish art and deals with universal timeless themes. Flanders, this small but mighty society, was  seeking to establish itself in a fast-changing, increasingly globalized world. Art played a crucial role  in this, and it’s fascinating to see that the legacy of this period persists today,” says Chloé M. Pelletier,  Curator of European Art (before 1800) at the MMFA. 

The exhibition is laid out in seven sections and features some 150 works, including monumental  paintings, sculptures, books, silverwork and maps. It begins with religious art of the 15th and early  16th century. In looking closely at these works packed with symbolism and delightful details, such as  Hans Memling’s The Nativity, or Triptych with the Adoration of the Magi by Pieter Coecke van Aelst  the Elder, the public will appreciate how Flemish citizens used images to interact with higher powers,  build community and secure their legacy. 

The next section is dedicated to portraits that celebrate the wealth and status of individuals and,  by the same token, mark the dawn of the art patron. Among the works displayed are notably Portrait  of Archduke Albert of Austria by Peter Paul Rubens, the Double Portrait of Husband and Wife Playing  Tables by Jan Sanders van Hemessen, and a work by his daughter, Catharina van Hemessen, titled  Portrait of a Lady. Following this section is a group of paintings depicting fools and foolish behaviour  that showcases how artists used humor to both moralize and entertain. 

Moving into the 17th century, subsequent sections highlight Flanders’ significance as a cosmopolitan  centre of commerce and innovation, both scientific and artistic. Navigation tools and maps join  

masterworks by Rubens and Van Dyck, international celebrities whose dramatic painterly styles spoke  to the heightened emotions of a society plagued by war and political instability. 

The exhibition ends in an immersive space inspired by art cabinets, elite collections of art found in  the homes of the upper class during this era. Often depicted in period paintings, examples of which  are on display, such spaces prefigure the modern museum and invite us to consider the range of  desires – to connect, to marvel, to possess – that led to their inception. 

CREDITS AND CURATORIAL TEAM 

An exhibition co-organized by the Denver Art Museum and The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp,  Belgium, in collaboration with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. 

The exhibition is curated by Katharina Van Cauteren, Chief of Staff of The Phoebus Foundation  Chancellery. The Montreal presentation is curated by Chloé M. Pelletier, Curator of European Art  (before 1800) at the MMFA

IMAGES

gibier, vers 1640. © La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers

(Belgique)

Frans Snyders (1579-1657), A Pantry with Game, about

1640. © The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium

de l’Adoration des Mages, vers 1530-1540. © La

Fondation Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)

Pieter Coecke van Aelst the Elder (1502-1550), Triptych

with the Adoration of the Magi, about 1530–1540.

© The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium.

1480. © La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)

Hans Memling and Workshop (1433-1494), The

Nativity, about 1480. © The Phoebus Foundation,

Antwerp, Belgium

Jan Sanders van Hemessen (vers 1500-1556/1557),

Portrait d’Elisabet, folle de la cour d’Anne de Hongrie,

vers 1525. © La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)

Jan Sanders van Hemessen (about 1500-1556/1557),

Portrait of Elisabet, Court Fool of Anne of Hungary,

about 1525. © The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp,

Belgium

des fous, vers 1530. © La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers

(Belgique)

Jan Massys (1509-1575), Riddle: The World Feeds Many

Fools, about 1530. © The Phoebus Foundation,

Antwerp, Belgium

Vespucci redécouvre l’Amérique, de la série « Nova

Reperta » [Nouvelles inventions des temps modernes],

vers 1590. © La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)

Jan van der Straet, called Stradanus (1523-1605),

Amerigo Vespucci Rediscovers America, from the series

“Nova Reperta” [New Inventions of Modern Times],

about 1590. © The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp,

Belgium

chassant avec ses nymphes, vers 1636-1637.

© La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)

Peter Paul Rubens and Workshop (1577-1640), Diana

Hunting with Her Nymphs, about 1636–1637.

© The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium

(vers 1570 - vers 1627), Les quatre éléments dans le

jardin d’Eden, 1613. © La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers

(Belgique)

Hendrick de Clerck (about 1560-1630), Denijs van

Alsloot (about 1570 - about 1627), The Garden of Eden

with the Four Elements, 1613. © The Phoebus

Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium

saint Jean, vers 1627-1630 © La Fondation Phoebus,

Anvers (Belgique)

Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641), Mary, the Christ Child

and Saint John, about 1627-1630 © The Phoebus

Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium

femme s’étreignant, vers 1614-1615 © La Fondation

Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)

Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), A Sailor and a Woman

Embracing, about 1614-1615 © The Phoebus

Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium

© La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)

Jacob Jordaens (1593-1678), The Serenade, about

1640, oil on canvas. © The Phoebus Foundation,

Antwerp, Belgium

Isabella Clara Eugenia en habit de clarisse, vers 1635.

© La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)

Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641), Portrait of the Infanta

Isabella Clara Eugenia in the Habit of the Poor Clares,

about 1635. © The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp,

Belgium

Peeter Neeffs le Jeune (1620 - après 1675), Gillis van

Tillborch (1625-1678), Couple élégant dans un cabinet

d’art, 1652 et vers 1675. © La Fondation Phoebus,

Anvers (Belgique)

Peeter Neeffs the Younger (1620 - after 1675), Gillis

van Tillborch (1625-1678), Elegant Couple in an Art

Cabinet, 1652, and about 1675 © The Phoebus

Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium

Hans Jamnitzer (1538-1603), d’après un dessin de

Giorgio Ghisi (1520-1582) et de Luca Penni

(1500/1504-1556), Apollon et les Muses, vers 1570-

1580. © La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)

Hans Jamnitzer (1538-1603), after a design by Giorgio

Ghisi (1520-1582) and Luca Penni (1500/1504-1556),

Apollo and the Muses, about 1570-1580. © The

Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium

 Catarina Ykens II (1659-1737), Vanité au buste de

femme, 1688 © La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers

(Belgique)

Catarina Ykens II (1659-1737), Vanitas Bust of a Lady,

1688 © The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium

Jan Cossiers (1600-1671), Un jeune homme allumant sa

pipe (allégorie de l’odorat), vers 1650 © La Fondation

Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)

Jan Cossiers (1600-1671), A Young Man Lighting His

Pipe (Allegory of Smell), about 1650 © The Phoebus

Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium

Michaelina Wautier (1604-1689), Chacun ses goûts,

vers 1650 © La Fondation Phoebus, Anvers (Belgique)

Michaelina Wautier (1604-1689), Everyone to His

Taste, about 1650 © The Phoebus Foundation,

Antwerp, Belgium

Exclusivité de

la présentation

montréalaise

Lucas van Valckenborch (1535-1597), Un marché aux

viandes et aux poissons (Hiver), vers 1595. MBAM,

achat, fonds spécial pour l’acquisition d’œuvres d’art

non canadiennes et fonds John W. Tempest. Photo

MBAM, Jean-François Brière

Lucas van Valckenborch (1535-1597), A Meat and Fish

Market (Winter), about 1595. MMFA, purchase, special

acquisition fund for non-Canadian art and John W.

Tempest Fund. Photo MMFA, Jean-François Brière

Exclusivité de

la présentation

montréalaise

Adriaen Isenbrandt (?-1551), L’Adoration des Mages,

années 1520 (?). MBAM, don de M. et Mme Michal

Hornstein. Photo MBAM, Jean-François Brière

Adriaen Isenbrandt (?-1551), The Adoration of the

Magi, 1520s. MMFA, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Michal

Hornstein. Photo MMFA, Jean-François Brière

la présentation

montréalaise

Hendrick van Steenwijck le Jeune (1580 – vers 1649),

figures attribuées à Jan Bruegel le Vieux (1568-1625),

Intérieur d’une église gothique, 1614. MBAM, don de

M. et Mme Michal Hornstein. Photo MBAM, Jean-

François Brière

Hendrick van Steenwijck the Younger (1580 – about

1649), figures attributed to Jan Brueghel the Elder

(1568-1625), Interior of a Gothic Church, 1614. MMFA,

gift of Mr. and Mrs. Michal Hornstein. Photo MMFA,

Jean-François Brière

Exclusivité de

la présentation

montréalaise

Jan Bruegel le Vieux (1568-1625), Paysage du paradis

peuplé d’animaux et d’oiseaux dans une clairière, près

d’un étang, 1617 (ou 1615). MBAM, don de M. et Mme

Michal Hornstein. Photo MBAM, Jean-François Brière

Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568-1625), A Paradise

Landscape with Animals and Birds in a Wooded Glade

by a Pond, 1617 (or 1615), oil on copper. MMFA, gift of

Mr. and Mrs. Michal Hornstein. Photo MMFA, Jean-

François Brière

Exclusivité de

la présentation

montréalaise

Pieter Bruegel I (vers 1564 – vers 1638), Retour de

l’auberge, vers 1620. MBAM, don de la famille Maxwell

à la mémoire de Mme Edward Maxwell. Photo MBAM,

Christine Guest

Pieter Brueghel I (about 1564 – about 1638), Return

from the Inn, about 1620. MMFA, gift of the Maxwell

family in memory of Mrs. Edward Maxwell. Photo

MMFA, Christine Guest