FRANS HALS
[1583-1666]

This Dutch Golden Age painter was born in the city of Antwerp, but spent most of his life in Haarlem (North Holland, Netherlands). He became a member of the St Luke’s Guild in 1610 and he painted in the Baroque style of the day. His works, which included mainly individual and group portraits, as well as genre pieces, have been noted for their vibrancy. His works can be found in the Frans Hal Museum (Haarlem) as well as the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam), The Louvre (Paris), Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) and J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles).

REMBRANDT
[1606-1669]

Arguably the most famous of Dutch painters and those throughout the world, Rembrandt was born in the Dutch city of Leiden (South Holland, Netherlands). He was a master of three art forms: painting, drawing and etching. His body of work was wide ranging, from standard portraits (including self-portraits) and landscapes to biology, anatomy and biblical scenes. His unique use of light and shadow is recognizable across his paintings. Recently, the Dutch and French governments paid a combined $160 million to purchase a set of Rembrandt wedding portraits (Portrait of Marten Soolmans and Portrait of Oopjen Coppit) from the Rothschild family trust. The agreement is that the two portraits (of husband and wife) will always be displayed together, alternating between the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam) and The Louvre (Paris).

JOHANNES VERMEER
[1632-1675]

One of the greatest Dutch painters from the Golden Age was Johannes Vermeer from Delft (South Holland, Netherlands). Despite moderate success in his lifetime, when he died age 45, he left his wife and children saddled with debt. Appreciation of his work is far greater today. His painting, Girl With A Pearl Earring, became even more famous as the subject of a 2003 film of the same name. It starred Scarlett Johansson who played Vermeer’s housekeeper and the assumed muse for his masterpiece which hangs in the Mauritshuis gallery in The Hague. Additional Vermeer works can be found in the collections of the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam), The Louvre (Paris), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City), National Gallery (London) and the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna). The Vermeer Center in Delft, which displays reproductions of all the artist’s works, is located on the site where Vermeer originally painted as a member of the St Luke’s Guild.

JAN STEEN
[1626-1679]

This Dutch Golden Age artist is renown for his colorful and insightful imagery of life in Holland during the 17th century as well as biblical scenes. Like Rembrandt and Vermeer, he painted in Baroque style. His works hang in the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam), Mauritshuis (The Hague), Museum van Boijmans (Rotterdam), National Gallery (London) and J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles) to name a few. Jan Steen was born in Leiden and died there at age 53.

PIETER DE HOOCH
[1629-1684]

As far as Dutch painters from the Golden Age, De Hooch (from Rotterdam) was one of the best. As a member of the St Luke’s Guild in Delft, he lived mostly in the shadow of his contemporary, Vermeer. De Hooch’s most popular works are those featuring domestic scenes. His paintings are found in the collections of the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam), The Louvre (Paris), National Gallery (London), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) and Getty Center (Los Angeles). Hooch died at the age of 55 in the city of Haarlem.

AELBERT CUYP
[1620-1691]

A sixth renown artist of the Dutch Golden Age was Aelbert Cuyp from the city of Dordrecht (South Holland, Netherlands). His paintings are primarily of Holland landscapes. Cuyp’s works can be found in the collections of the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam), The Louvre (Paris), National Gallery (London), National Gallery of Art (Washington D.C.) and the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles).

VINCENT VAN GOGH
[1853-1890]

This post-impressionist painter was born in Zundert (North Brabant) and is considered one of the most influential artists in history. He was prolific in his creations, producing nearly 1,000 paintings during the course of his short life. Unfortunately, he never saw success while he was alive. He suffered from mental illness and even cut off a portion of his ear during a bout of delusion in 1886. A few years, he died from a self-inflicted gunshot. Today, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam attracts 2 million visitors a year. His paintings have been among the most expensive ever sold, including a self-portrait that sold for $71 million in 1998. Recently, the artist was the subject of the film Loving Vincent, which earned an Academy Award nomination. It was the first-ever completely oil-painted animated movie.

PIET MONDRIAAN
[1872-1944]

While his early works were representative of the impressionist style of painting popular at the time he was growing up, he is famous for introducing ‘De Stijl’, an abstract modernist art form characterized by cubes, primary colors and linear plains. Mondriaan, who was born in Amersfoort (Utrecht, Netherlands) and died in New York City, is considered one of the 20th-century’s most influential artists. His works are found in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art (New York City), Tate Modern (London), Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles) and Kunstmuseum Den Haag (The Hague) among others. In November 2022 his work ‘Composition No. II’ sold for $50 million, a record for a piece of Mondrian artwork.

M.C. ESCHER
[1898-1972]

A graphic artist known for his paintings, lithographs and woodcuts that incorporated unique interpretations of reflection, perspective and symmetry in his exploration of infinity. The M.C. Escher Museum is located in the Palace Lange Voorhout in The Hague. M.C. Escher was born in Leeuwarden and died in Laren.

WILLEM DE KOONING
[1904-1997]

This abstract expressionist painter was born and raised in Rotterdam. When he was 22, he moved to the United States and eventually became an American citizen (1962). Like Mondriaan, he is considered one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. In 2006 his painting ‘Woman III‘ sold for $137 million. Nine years later another of his works, ‘Interchange‘ sold for $300 million. In 1998, the Rotterdam college he attended in the 1920s was renamed the Willem de Kooning Academy. His works can be found in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art (New York City), L.A. County Museum of Art (Los Angeles), Tate Modern (London) and Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao).