The palatable work of Dutch masters deserves no introduction, and as the country’s institutions continue preserving and enlarging their knowledge through research and education about them, the news of Frans Hals Museum and the Mauritshuis acquiring Violin Playing Boy and Singing Girl, both by Frans Hals only showcases the high efforts of these institutions and adds another significant part of the puzzle that the country aims to complete- bringing back Dutch masters to their home.
Previously owned by a private collector, these paintings auctioned for $7.6 Million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York with support of the Rembrandt Association, the Mondriaan Fund, the National Purchase Fund of the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science, the Association of Friends of the Frans Hals Museum, the Friends Lottery and the Municipality of Haarlem.
Among the other significant works of Hals, these portraits are significant as they may subject the artist’s kids and givethe viewer an opportunity to explore the 17th-century Netherlands. Eppo Bruins, Minister of Education, Culture and Science (OCW), says,
“It is wonderful that these paintings by Frans Hals, which were first in the hands of a foreign private individual, are back home. They offer a glimpse into everyday life in the 17th century and are a wonderful example of Hals’s characteristic loose painting touch. It’s nice that two museums are joining forces with the support of the government and private givers, so that this unique Dutch top art can soon be admired by everyone.”
Frans Hals (1583-1666) has remained a person of interest for a long time, majorly for his suggestive brushwork and spontaneous compositions. While a famous artist figure of his time and beyond who earned countless commissions for portraiture and unarguably completed them with excellent proficiency, it is noteworthy how his first account was published by a 19th-century French artist and writer Eugène Fromentin, after he was rediscovered by painters between the period of Gustave Courbet and Lovis Corinth.
Speaking of the artworks, they are also significant for Frans Hals Museum as these will be the first genre works that the institution will hold, even while housing the world’s largest collection of Hals. Lastly, they will be exhibited at Frans Hals Museum from mid-July and will be a part of the Hals-Rembrandt exhibition, which will take place in November 2026 at the same. Mauritshuis will have their chance to exhibit them in mid-October, as a part of the presentation on the development of genre painting in the early 17th century. This presentation will include the works of Willem Buytewech and Flemish Adriaen Brouwer, who worked in Haarlem around the same time.
Featured Image: Violin Playing Boy by Frans Hals; Frans Hals, Violin playing boy, ca. 1628, Frans Hals Museum and Mauritshuis, photo courtesy of Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
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