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Gods, Saints, and Heroes: Dutch Painting in the Age of Rembrandt

November 2, 1980 – January 4, 1981
West Building, Main Floor, Galleries 43 through 51 (10,000 sq. ft.)

Joachim Anthonisz Wtewael, Moses Striking the Rock, 1624, oil on panel, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1972.11.1

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

Overview: 85 loans comprised this survey of 17th-century Dutch history painting, which illustrated themes of mythology, religion, and allegory. Several works from council chambers in Dutch town halls were included. One of these was displayed in a full-scale recreation of the Haarlem town hall mantelpiece where it had been installed since 1676.

Organization: Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. was the National Gallery coordinator. Elroy Quenroe installed the exhibition at the National Gallery. The exhibition was organized by the Detroit Institute of Arts with the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

Sponsor: The exhibition was supported by a planning grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities, and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Transportation was provided by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

Attendance: 102,843

Catalog: Gods, Saints, and Heroes: Dutch Painting in the Age of Rembrandt, by A. Blankert et al. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1980.

Other Venues: Detroit Institute of Arts, February 16–April 19, 1981
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, May 18–July 19, 1981

Download a free PDF of the exhibition catalog (PDF 106.25MB)