At the beginning of the 17th century, the time of Rubens, a fascinating new genre of painting emerged in Antwerp. Inspired by art collectors fond of showing off their possessions, such paintings were called 'art cabinets', and what you see is a room full of art, as though the artist was intent on capturing an entire museum in a single painting. Kunstkamers (often referred to in English by the German term, Kunstkammer) are an inexhaustible feast for the eyes and a matchless feast for the soul. You can picture yourself as the special guest at a gathering of Antwerp's high society at the time of Rubens. We know only three works by the painter Willem van Haecht (1593-1637): three magnificent 'art cabinets'. All three depict the impressive collection of Cornelis van der Geest (1555-1638), an eminent Antwerp art collector, who employed Van Haecht as the curator of his collection. Van Haecht's three outstanding paintings, shown here together for the first time, are the heart of this exclusive exhibition. Other masterpieces on display - including works by Anthony van Dyck, David Teniers and Quinten Massys - are on loan from the National Gallery in London, the Prado in Madrid, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, the British Royal Collection and private collections.
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