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Mad Meg

A horror film in painted form

You never grow tired of looking at Pieter Bruegel’s world-famous painting Mad Meg. There’s always something new to see and experience.

Pissing at the moon

IN DEPOT | Pieter Bruegel had a thing about sayings and proverbs. And a sense of humour too. This is clear from these twelve little paintings, which together represent one of his 45 or so works.

The print-maker

Museum Mayer van den Bergh has around thirty prints designed by Bruegel. He became famous for his prints, only taking up painting later on...

Pieter’s son Pieter

Pieter’s two sons also become painters. Jan Bruegel went his own way and became a famous painter of landscapes, animals, flower arrangements, and so on. He also worked closely with and was a good friend of his fellow Antwerper Rubens. Pieter Bruegel the Younger, Jan’s older brother, mainly copied work by his father.

The mayor and his family

ON LOAN | In the Golden Age, the Dutch bourgeoisie liked to display their prosperity. Chic family portraits were one of the status symbols they used. This is a carefully orchestrated example of such portraits.

High-status family

Anyone back in 1625 who was able to commission a portrait of his family from a famous Antwerp painter was rich. Joris Vekemans did just that.

Radiant miniatures

IN DEPOT | In 1898, in purchasing a beautifully illustrated prayer book, Fritz Mayer van den Bergh spent the highest sum he ever paid out: 35,500 francs, a fortune at the time. He knew what he was doing: this is an absolute masterpiece. It is now named after him.

A travel altar

Paintings from before Jan van Eyck’s time are rare in this part of Europe. And there are hardly any well-preserved masterpieces from that period. These beautiful, radiant panels from around 1400 are therefore exceptional.

Man of Sorrows

The bloody and wounded Christ displaying his wounds and wearing the crown of thorns was a favourite subject of late medieval art. It was intended to arouse compassion in onlookers.

Despair and anguish

This scene is pure emotion. The bloodied body of Jesus has just been taken down from the cross and will be laid in the tomb. The dramatic scene was intended to encourage compassion and reflection in those who looked at it.