Visitor information

In the seventeenth century Antwerp was the leading mercantile metropolis of Western Europe. It was partly as a result that the city became the centre of art and the art trade. The beauty and quality of Antwerp art was unparalleled, and its artistic influence extended far beyond the frontiers of the Spanish Netherlands. New genres emerged, and for the first time there was an open market for art. Religious and political turmoil in the second half of the sixteenth century culminated in a tipping point.

From Antwerp to Amsterdam

In 1585, after a siege lasting for months, Antwerp surrendered to the Spanish. That Fall of Antwerp led to the final separation of the northern and southern Netherlands. The South remained Catholic and in Spanish hands, the North became independent and predominantly Protestant. The North blockaded the river Scheldt, cutting off the South’s principal trade route and ruining its economy. Those developments prompted a mass exodus of mainly Protestant artists and merchants to the North, now renamed the Republic of the United Netherlands. Amsterdam became the new Antwerp. Art and the economy flourished there like never before.

First time ever in the Netherlands

Ode to Antwerp brings together 80 key works illustrating the vast influence that its new émigré citizens had on the art and art market of the Dutch Republic. The exhibition not only traces the tumultuous history of one of the most highly prized artistic movements in the world, it also provides a fascinating insight into the continuing exchange of artistic ideas between the Southern and Northern Netherlands. Light will be shed onto that by the many large and colourful canvases and panels, many of which have never been on display in the Netherlands before. It will be a feast for the eyes!

Highlights from national and international collections

Half of the works on show are from the collection of The Phoebus Collection in Antwerp. It would not have been possible to mount this exhibition without its help. The other half is coming from the collection of Museum Catharijneconvent supplemented by leading institutions like the Mauritshuis, the Rijksmuseum, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and the Snijders&Rockoxhuis. To accompany the show we are issuing the lavishly illustrated catalogue Van Antwerpen naar Amsterdam. Schilderkunst uit de zestiende en zeventiende eeuw, published by Hannibal Books and edited by Dr Micha Leeflang, one of our curators.

Museum Catharijneconvent occupies a characteristic building in the old city centre of Utrecht. The building has a long history going back to the fourteenth century. Originally, it was the site of a shelter for the homeless. In the fifteenth century the Carmelites acquired the land and built a convent. Later, the knights of St John turned it into a hospital, which it remained until the beginning of the nineteenth century. Subsequently it served various other functions until becoming a museum in 1979.

Visiting address

Lange Nieuwstraat 38
3512 PH Utrecht
The Netherlands

Contact

P.O. box 8518
3503 RM Utrecht
The Netherlands
Telephone: + 31 (0)30 231 38 35
E-mail: info@catharijneconvent.nl

Directions

• Only a 15-minute walk from Utrecht Central station
• Only a 5-minute walk from the tourist office
• Bus line 2 stops at the door

Accessibility

Accessible for wheelchairs. Not accessible for larger motorised scooters. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are allowed.

You can find more information about accessibility on this website: https://www.goldencrossdata.com/en/adress/museum-catharijne-convent