Low Countries Brussels, Bruges, Delft, Amsterdam
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HIGH ART IN THE LOW COUNTRIES BRUSSELS, BRUGES, DELFT, AMSTERDAM MAY 28 – JUNE 9, 2021 TOUR LEADER: DR NICK GORDON HIGH ART IN THE Overview LOW COUNTRIES From the 15th century onwards the Low Countries witnessed an Tour dates: May 28 – June 9, 2021 extraordinary period of cultural brilliance. Brisk trade, merchant-based governments, humanistic education, religious dissent and a taste for Tour leader: Dr Nick Gordon luxury and everyday detail combined with an artisan culture to produce a period now known as the Northern Renaissance. The visual worlds and Tour Price: $7,880 per person, twin share distinctive religious and political identities that emerged from the region continue to influence Western art. Single Supplement: $1,720 for sole use of double room Landscape, still life, genre painting and the modern portrait were all 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 and Etihad emergence of Protestant republics in the north and the struggles of Airways peasants and burghers against the ambitious Holy Roman Empire. With the glory of the Dutch Golden Age, a vast colonial empire brought Maximum places: 20 fabulous riches and ensured the posterity of the art and history of the Low Countries. Itinerary: Brussels (3 nights), Bruges (2 nights), 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 18, 2020 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 Nick Gordon is a cultural historian and artist, with over 10 years of experience leading tours to Italy. He has strong interests in art, history, philosophy and architecture, from the ancient world to the present. Nick holds a University Medal and PhD in history from the University of Sydney. He taught medieval and Renaissance history at the University of Sydney, the history of political thought at the University of Western Sydney, and architectural and Australian history elsewhere. He continues to teach and give occasional lectures on European and Australian art and history. Enquiries Nick has lead tours for Academy Travel since 2007. and bookings “Nick is an excellent tour leader – in his management, organizational and people skills. He has great knowledge of art and art history, which he For further information and to shared willingly, both in lectures and informally.” Participant from Nick’s secure a place on this tour Art Along the Rhine tour, June 2017. please contact Lynsey Jenkins at Academy Travel “Nick was a wonderful tour leader. He was always calm and helpful. His on 9235 0023 or 1800 639 knowledge is phenomenal, and he was very patient with our numerous 699 (outside Sydney) or email questions and generous with his time.” Participant from Nick’s Rome [email protected] Study Tour, January 2020. 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 at 3.30pm on Friday 28 May, at the Renaissance Marriott Hotel, Brussels. The tour ends after breakfast on Wednesday 12 June, at Park Centraal, Amsterdam. Friday 28 May Arrive The tour begins this afternoon, when we gather in the hotel lounge where tour leader Dr Nick Gordon 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 29 may 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 local restaurant. 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 30 May Victor Horta and Louvain Victor Horta was one of the leading lights of art nouveau architecture, which used 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 Louvain, 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 31 may 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 1 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, including 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. We then visit the Hans Memling Museum, where some of the artist’s finest work is displayed.