HIGH ART IN THE LOW COUNTRIES BRUSSELS, BRUGES, DELFT, AMSTERDAM

MAY 31 – JUNE 12, 2019 TOUR LEADER: DR SOPHIE OOSTERWIJK

HIGH ART IN THE Overview LOW COUNTRIES From the 15th century on the Low Countries witnessed an extraordinary period of cultural brilliance. Brisk trade, merchant-based governments, Tour dates: May 31 – June 12, 2019 humanistic education, religious dissent and a taste for luxury and everyday detail combined with an artisan culture to produce a period now Tour leader: Dr Sophie Oosterwijk known as the Northern Renaissance. The visual worlds and distinctive religious and political identities that emerged from the region continue to Tour Price: $7,270 per person, twin share influence Western art.

Single Supplement: $1,580 for sole use of Landscape, still life, genre painting and the modern portrait were all double room developed in the Low Countries, starting with the innovations introduced to oil painting by Jan van Eyck and continuing through the work of Bosch, Booking deposit: $500 per person Brueghel, Rubens, Rembrandt and Vermeer and down to Van Gogh. But the political and religious map of Europe was reshaped here too, with the Recommended airline: Emirates emergence of Protestant republics in the north and the struggles of peasants and burghers against the ambitious Holy Roman Empire. With Maximum places: 20 the glory of the Dutch Golden Age, a vast colonial empire brought fabulous riches and ensured the posterity of the art and history of the Low Itinerary: Brussels (3 nights), Bruges (2 nights), Countries. Delft (3 nights), Amsterdam (4 nights) This 13-day tour goes beyond the clichés of windmills and wooden shoes, taking us from Brussels, to Bruges, Delft and Amsterdam, exploring the Date published: March 26, 2018 fascinating art, history and culture of the Low Countries along the way.

Visiting both the larger cities, including Antwerp and The Hague, as well as smaller centres such as Haarlem and Ghent, we enjoy exceptional museums and galleries, and appreciate the cityscapes that have remained largely unchanged since the glory days of the Northern Renaissance and the Dutch Golden Age.

Your tour leader

Dr Sophie Oosterwijk is a Dutch art historian who specialises in Medieval, Flemish and Dutch art. She holds an MA and PhD in English literature from Leiden University, an MA in Medieval Studies from the University of York, and a PhD in Art History from the University of Leicester. Sophie has taught at the universities of Leicester, Manchester and St Andrews, and is a regular guest lecturer in Continuing Education for the University of Cambridge. She has led and designed tours to Belgium, Enquiries and the Netherlands, France, Spain and the UK since 1994. bookings Being a Dutch native Sophie is fluent in Dutch (as well as in English, For further information and to French and German), and knows the Netherlands and Belgium intimately. secure a place on this tour please contact Kathy “I love showing people around my favourite places in Europe and offering Wardrop at Academy Travel insights into the local history, society, life and – above all – art treasures on 9235 0023 or 1800 639 within their own special settings”, says Sophie. “Nothing beats seeing art 699 (outside Sydney) or email in its own context: an altarpiece in a church or cathedral, or a famous [email protected] painting surrounded by other works of the period.”

Tour Highlights

GOLDEN AGE ART The Dutch Golden Age revolutionized art and popularized genres, such as landscape and still life, that are much loved today. Explore the wealth of art from the wonderful works of Jan Vermeer and Rembrandt in the Rijksmuseum and the Mauritshuis, through to a host of less well known but equally magnificent masters.

BRUGES Bruges’ medieval architecture is beautifully preserved, and the city retains the vibrance it was famous for when it was the capital of the Burgundian Dukes. Enjoy staying in the historic centre for two nights, getting to know the city’s fascinating history and discovering masterpieces by Jan van Eyck, Michelangelo and Hans Memling.

SMALL TOWNS AND THEIR GEMS The region’s smaller towns are home to their own wonders, which are missed by most travellers. Unpack your bags in historic Delft, home of Vermeer, witness the extraordinary beauty of the Ghent Altarpiece, explore Leuven and Leiden, visit the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem and the wonderful Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam.

AMSTERDAM Amsterdam’s reputation for cosmopolitanism is well-deserved, extending back to the 17th century when it was a refuge for many of Europe’s most radical thinkers. Enjoy a four night stay in this wonderful city, exploring its exceptional galleries, World-Heritage listed canals, relaxed lifestyle and its fascinating history.

MODERN MASTERS The Low Countries’ tradition of excellence in the arts is carried through into the modern age. Get to know the modern masters in depth, with visits to the Van Gogh and Magritte museums – the largest collections of these artists’ work – and discover Victor Horta, a pioneer of art nouveau, through a private guided visit of his house and studio

Detailed itinerary

Included meals are shown with the symbols B, L and D.

Tour start & finish time The tour starts on Friday 31 May at 3.45pm at the Renaissance Marriott Hotel, Brussels.

The tour ends on Wednesday 12 June at Park Hotel, Amsterdam, after breakfast.

Friday 31 May Arrive The tour begins this afternoon, when we gather in the hotel lounge where tour leader Dr Sophie Oosterwijk will meet you. After time to introduce ourselves, we visit the Royal Library of Belgium, whose collection of manuscripts on display provides a fascinating insight into the love of detail, dynamic compositions and wonderful use of rich colours that is typical of late medieval and early Renaissance art from this region. We continue on foot to the World-Heritage listed Grand Place, the historic centre of Brussels, which is lined by the palaces of the city’s medieval Above: The Grand Place in Brussels guilds. Dinner in a local restaurant, evening at leisure. Overnight Below: Pieter Breughel The Younger’s The Peasant Wedding Dance Brussels. (D) in Brussels’ Museum of Fine Arts Bottom: detail of the lightwell in Victor Horta’s House and Studio Saturday 1 June Brussels Museum of Fine Arts Flanders and Brabant were the economic heart of northern Europe in the Middle Ages and the centre of an artistic revolution in the 15th-17th centuries, which we will explore in detail over the next few days. After a talk in the hotel this morning, we visit Belgium’s Royal Museums of Fine Arts to explore its magnificent collection of Old Masters, including works by Rogier van der Weyden, Hieronymous Bosch, Pieter Bruegel and Peter-Paul Rubens. We then enjoy a welcome lunch in a restaurant located inside one of Brussels’ most striking art-nouveau buildings. In the afternoon, we return the Museum of Fine Arts to explore its other excellent collections – the modern art museum, with works by David, Ingres and Matisse, and the Magritte Museum, which holds the most comprehensive collection of this modern master’s work. Evening at leisure. Overnight Brussels. (B, L)

Sunday 2 June Victor Horta and Leuven Victor Horta was one of the leading lights of art nouveau architecture, which sought to use modern building materials to create a new way of living for the growing middle classes of Europe. This morning we have a private guided visit of the house and studio of this master. The building is both innovative and delightfully playful in its use of materials, its carefully coordinated decorative motifs and its division of spaces to facilitate a modern lifestyle. We then travel by coach to Leuven, a historic university town outside of Brussels, to explore its history, including a visit to its beautiful gothic cathedral and treasury. Returning to Brussels, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Brussels. (B)

Monday 3 June Ghent Ghent was one of the largest cities in medieval Europe and home to one of the most revolutionary artworks of the 1400s: the Altarpiece of Hubert and Jan van Eyck, housed in the Cathedral of St Bavo, commonly known as the Ghent Altarpiece. Research undertaken during its recent renovation has revealed even more about this extraordinary piece of art – one of the first surviving works employing the luminous new techniques of oil painting devised by Jan van Eyck – and its presentation in the cathedral is excellent. After visiting the masterpiece, we tour the city and break for lunch. In the early afternoon we continue to Bruges with its perfectly preserved Flemish-Gothic architecture. Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight Bruges. (B, D)

Tuesday 4 June Bruges Bruges was a magnet for European merchants of the Middle Ages as it was the largest port north of the Alps and at the convergence of overland, river and ocean trade routes. Towards the end of the 14th century it became part of Burgundy, a rising power in Europe whose dukes played France and England off each other to increase their own territorial possessions. It was also under the Dukes of Burgundy that Bruges became the centre of an artistic revolution as artists such as Jan van Eyck, Gerard David and Hans Memling worked in the town for the burghers and nobles who wanted themselves immortalised in the new style. After a talk in the hotel, we explore the historic cityscape of Bruges and visit the Hans Memling Museum, where some of the artist’s finest work is displayed, and the Church of Our Lady, to visit the tomb of the last of the Burgundians – Mary the Rich – and the only statue by Michelangelo to go north of the Alps in the artist’s own lifetime. After a break for lunch, we visit the excellent Groeninge Museum, which has some of Van Eyck’s finest works – the portrait of his wife, Margherita van Eyck, and the Madonna of Cardinal van der Paele – along with works by Bosch and Gerard David. The mid-afternoon and evening are at leisure to enjoy Bruges. Overnight Bruges. (B)

Wednesday 5 June Antwerp Today we travel to Antwerp, which became Europe’s largest port and richest city in the 16th-century, after Bruges fell out of favour (and the entrance to its port silted up in a storm!). The vibrance of the city is reflected in the guildhalls of Grote Markt, whose architecture influenced a young Gaudí, and also in the canvases by Rubens, which are currently displayed in the

Right from top to bottom: detail of Jan van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece; the romantic scenery of Bruges, famed for its canals, chocolate and townhouses; Hans Memling’s Arrival of St Ursula in Rome, just one of the beautiful panels of the St Ursula Shrine in Bruges

magnificent cathedral. Our tour of the city also includes a guided visit of Rubens’ house and studio and concludes with the House

Museum of Mayer van den Bergh. This intimate museum has a number of masterpieces, such as Brueghel’s Mad Meg, which

were collected by Van den Bergh in the late 19th century, when Gothic and Northern Renaissance art was out of favour. In the mid-afternoon, we continue on to Delft, our base for the next three nights. Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight Delft. (B, D)

Thursday 6 June Delft and Boijmans van Beuningen Delft was one among many prospering towns of the Netherlands in 17th century, and is today best known among English speakers as the hometown of Vermeer. For the Dutch, however, it is much more significant because it was here that William “the Silent” of Orange set up his headquarters to lead the war against the Spanish that ultimately led to the independence of Above: Delft, a tranquil Golden Age town, home of Vermeer, and the spiritual centre of the House of Orange the Netherlands. This morning we explore Delft, including visits Below: Pieter de Hooch’s Courtyard in Delft, in the Rijksmuseum to the Nieuwe Kerk, where most of the House of Orange are Bottom: The townhouses of Old Amsterdam reflected in the canal buried, and the new Vermeer Centre. After a break for a leisurely lunch, we travel the short distance to visit the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam, whose fine collection runs from paintings by Bosch and Pieter Brueghel the Elder to Magritte, Dali and contemporary design. Return to Delft, evening at leisure. (B)

Friday 7 June The Hague Today we visit The Hague, a city whose fascinating history is inseparable from the House of Orange and as the modern seat of the International Court of Justice. The great prize of our visit today, however, is the extraordinary collection in the Mauritshuis, whose impressive collection includes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring and View of Delft, Carol Fabricius’ The Gold Finch, and many excellent portraits by Rembrandt and others. After a guided visit of the gallery, we break for lunch and then visit the Panorama Mesdag – an extraordinary 120m long painting depicting the Belgian coastline at Schveningen curving around the walls of a specially built gallery. In the later afternoon, we return to Delft, stopping to visit Hofwijck, the 17th- century estate of the poet, composer and secretary of state, Constantijn Huygens. Constantijn Huygens was one of the leading lights of Dutch culture – and his son, Christiaan, became one of the Scientific Revolution’s prime movers – and he had his gardens designed according to the principles of classical architecture. Return to Deflt, evening at leisure. Overnight Delft. (B)

Saturday 8 June Leiden and Amsterdam This morning we depart Delft for Amsterdam, stopping to visit Leiden, a beautiful university town with a rich history as a centre of printing and textiles, and as the place from where numerous settlers left for the New Amsterdam and Massachusetts colonies. We explore the history and architecture of the town and visit the recently renovated Lakenhall Museum. In the afternoon, we continue to nearby Amsterdam. After checking into our hotel, we stroll along Amsterdam’s World Heritage-listed canal belt. These rings of canals are feats of hydraulic engineering – a series of timed locks and sluices keep water flowing almost uphill – and were a new model of rational town planning for a burgeoning city. The merchants, artists and religious minorities who flocked here made it one of Europe’s most cosmopolitan cities and its canals are lined with the townhouses of the wealthy burghers of the Golden Age. Dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight Amsterdam. (B, D)

Sunday 9 June Rembrandt and the Rijksmuseum The Dutch Republic emerged from the religious conflict that reshaped Europe and ushered in its own distinctively modern forms of art. We explore the art and culture of the Dutch Golden Age today, starting at the Rijksmuseum, the most extensive collection of Dutch painting, including Rembrandt’s The Nightwatch, and Vermeer’s The Milkmaid. After our guided visit, there is time for independent exploration of the galleries and lunch. In the mid-afternoon, we visit Rembrandt’s House to explore the life, times and style of the master and to see how art was made and sold to wealthy upper and middle-class patrons. Evening at leisure. Overnight Amsterdam. (B)

Monday 10 June Van Gogh “If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced” – Vincent van Gogh.

Van Gogh is one of the modern world’s most prolific artists, although recognition of his work and its impact on modern art only came after his untimely death. This morning we visit one of the most significant collections of the master’s work at the Van Gogh Museum. This stunning collection of masterpieces - including Sunflowers, Almond Blossom and nine self-portraits – spans the artists whole life, from his early works and influences through to his final paintings. The afternoon is free, and you may wish to visit some of Amsterdam’s other museums, such as the Stedelijk or the Royal Palace, or simply relax. Overnight Amsterdam (B)

Tuesday 11 June Haarlem Haarlem is one of the gems the Netherlands, with its quiet streets with boutiques and cafes. The city too is brimming with history – it was brutally sacked by Spanish troops in the 16th century and its rebuilding became a symbol of independence. This morning we explore the history of Haarlem a walking tour,

Right from top to bottom: Frans Hals’ Portrait of Cornelia Vooght in the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem; Van Gogh’s Sunflowers in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam; and detail of Rembrandt’s The Nightwatch including visits to its historic alms houses and the Cathedral of St Bavo. We then visit the superb museum devoted to Frans Hals, one of the most endearing portraitists of the Golden Age and one of many great painters of the Haarlem school. We return to Amsterdam in the mid-afternoon. This evening we enjoy a farewell meal in one of Amsterdam’s fine restaurants. Overnight Amsterdam. (B, D)

Wednesday 12 June Departure The tour ends this morning, after breakfast. Please consult your individual travel documents for your ongoing journey. (B)

Hotels

Throughout the tour we stay in central 4-star hotels in the city. The hotels combine modern comforts with easy access to major sites.

 Brussels, Renaissance Marriot (3 nights) www.marriott.com

 Bruges, Grand Hotel Casselbergh (2 nights) www.grandhotelcasselbergh.com

 Delft, Museums Hotel (3 nights) www.museumhotels.nl

 Amsterdam, Park Hotel (4 nights) www.parkhotel.nl

Weather on Tour

June is a beautiful time to travel in the Low Countries. The long northern days give us plenty of opportunity to enjoy the historic town centres well into the evening. It is likely to rain on some days, so a lightweight waterproof jacket is advisable. Daytime temperatures will usually reach the low twenties, with night time average minimums in the mid-teens.

Above right: The view onto the recently renovated Rijksmuseum from Museumsplein Below Right: Vermeer’s The Milkmaid, one of the Rijksmuseum’s four works by Vermeer, just over 10% of the artist’s work to have survived

Tour Price Fitness Requirements

The tour price is $7,270 per person, twin share (land content of THIS tour only). The supplement for sole use of a room is $1,580 per person. A non-refundable deposit of $500 per person is GRADE TWO required to secure a place on the tour. It is important both for you and for your fellow travellers that you are fit enough to be able to enjoy all the activities on this Tour Inclusions tour. To give you an indication of the level of physical fitness required to participate on our tours, we have given them a Included in the tour price star grading. Academy Travel’s tours tend to feature extended walking tours and site visits, which require greater  13 nights’ accommodation in carefully selected four-star fitness than coach touring. We ask you to carefully consider hotels your ability to meet the physical demands of the tour.  All breakfasts, plus lunches and dinners as marked by B, L or D in the itinerary Participation criteria for this tour  Land travel by air-conditioned coach This Grade Two tour is designed for people who lead active  Extensive background notes lives and can comfortably participate in up to five hours of  Background talks physical activity per day on most days, including longer  Services of a tour leader throughout tour walking tours, challenging archaeological sites, climbing  All entrance fees to sites mentioned on itinerary stairs, embarking and disembarking trains and/or boats, and  Qualified local guides where appropriate a more demanding tour schedule with one night stops or  Porterage of one piece of luggage at all hotels several internal flights.  Tips for all services included in the itinerary You should be able to:  keep up with the group at all times Not included  walk for 4-5 kilometres at a moderate pace with only  International air fares, taxes and surcharges (see below) short breaks  Travel insurance  stand for a reasonable length of time in galleries and  Meals not mentioned in itinerary museums  tolerate uncomfortable climatic conditions such as cold,  Expenses of a personal nature humidity and heat  walk up and down slopes  negotiate steps and slopes on archaeological sites, Air travel OPTIONS which are often uneven and unstable  get on and off a large coach with steep stairs, train or The tour price quoted is for land content only. For this tour boat unassisted, possibly with luggage we recommend Emirates which offers flights into Brussels  move your luggage a short distance if required and out of Amsterdam from most Australian cities. Please contact us for further information on competitive Economy, A note for older travellers Business and First Class airfares. Transfers between airport and hotel are included for all passengers booking their flights If you are more than 80 years old, or have restricted mobility, through Academy Travel. These may be group or individual it is highly likely that you will find this itinerary challenging. transfers. You will have to miss several activities and will not get the full value of the tour. Your booking will not be accepted until after you have contacted Academy Travel to discuss your Enquiries & bookings situation and the exact physical requirements of this tour. While we will do our best to reasonably accommodate the For further information and to secure a place on this tour physical needs of all group members, we reserve the right to please contact Kathy Wardrop at Academy Travel on refuse bookings if we feel that the requirements of the tour 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email are too demanding for you and/or if local conditions mean [email protected] we cannot reasonably accommodate your condition.