Italian landscapes from the Golden Age

Starting on 22 February 2010, the Rijksmuseum at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol will be hosting the ‘Sunny Skies’ exhibition. The exhibition will feature nine works by Dutch 17th century landscape artists taken from the Rijksmuseum’s collection that were inspired by the Italian landscape and the incidence of light in Italy.

Dutch artists travelled to Italy regularly from the 16th century onwards to study the works of art from classical antiquity and the Renaissance. Once in Italy, the artists were inspired by the landscape and the Mediterranean light. From approximately 1640 onwards various Dutch artists focussed specifically on painting sunny southern landscapes. These artists included painters such as Jan Both (1618-1652), Jan Hackaert (1628-1685), Adam Pynacker (1620-1673) and Jan Asselijn (1610-1652) who each spent several years in Italy.

The works produced by these artists were exceptionally popular in the Netherlands. Known as ‘Italianists’, they had a major influence on the artists who remained in the Netherlands, such as Nicolaas Berchem and Albert Cuyp, who also took to painting Italian landscapes, even though they themselves had never been to Italy. This exhibition brings together a representative selection of paintings by the Italianists that together create a magnificent depiction of this major school in Dutch painting in the Golden Age.

Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Schiphol

The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Schiphol is located on Holland Boulevard, in the area beyond the passport checkpoint between the E and F Piers, and is open daily from 07.00 hrs to 20.00 hrs. Admission is free. The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Schiphol has a permanent exhibition of ten works by Dutch masters from the Golden Age taken from the Rijksmuseum collection. A temporary exhibition is also staged three times a year.

ING is the exclusive sponsor of Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Schiphol.

For further information, please contact:

Rijksmuseum
Press and Publicity Dept.
Jacobien Schneider
Postbus 74888
1070 DN Amsterdam
Tel: +31(0)20 6747172/171
Fax: +31(0)20 6747001
pressoffice@rijksmuseum.nl

Schiphol Group
Corporate Communications
Kathelijne Vermeulen
Postbus 7501
1118 ZG Schiphol Airport
T. +31 (0)20 6012673
Fax: +31(0)20 6012253
press@schiphol.nl