An Inner World: Seventeenth-Century Dutch Genre Painting features exceptional paintings by Dutch artists working in or near the city of Leiden, including nine paintings from The Leiden Collection (New York) and one painting from the Clark Art Institute (Williamstown, MA). Rare seventeenth-century books drawn from the collection of Penn’s Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts expand the intellectual and cultural contexts of the show. Paintings by Gerrit Dou, Gabriel Metsu, Domenicus van Tol, Willem van Mieris, and Jacob Toorenvliet demonstrate how these artists pursued a sustained interest in an inner world — depicting figures in interior spaces, and in moments of contemplation or quiet exchange, achieved through the meticulous technique of fine painting. An Inner World is co-curated by Dr. Lara Yeager-Crasselt of The Leiden Collection and Heather Gibson Moqtaderi, Assistant Director and Curator of the Arthur Ross Gallery. This is an expanded version of an exhibition first organized by the Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts, curated by Lara Yeager-Crasselt, in 2017. A catalogue will be published in conjunction with this exhibition, with new essays by Dr. Lara Yeager-Crasselt (The Leiden Collection), Dr. Shira Brisman (University of Pennsylvania) and Dr. Eric Jorink (University of Leiden).

The catalogue for this project has received funding through a grant from the Netherland-America Foundation.

[metaslider id=”2704″] About The Leiden Collection Founded by Thomas S. Kaplan and Daphne Recanati Kaplan, The Leiden Collection is comprised of more than 250 paintings and drawings from the Dutch Golden Age. Named for Rembrandt’s birthplace, The Leiden Collection has extraordinary depth and breadth in paintings by Leiden artists, ranging from Rembrandt and Jan Lievens, to outstanding works by fine painters (fijnschilders) Gerrit Dou and Frans van Mieris. The Collection also features important works by Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hals, Jan Steen, and Peter Paul Rubens. The Leiden Collection serves as a unique “lending library” of Dutch and Flemish art, and has prided itself on sharing its artworks with museums across the globe for long-term loans and special exhibitions. For more information: The Leiden Collection https://www.theleidencollection.com/ Exhibition sponsorship for An Inner World is provided by the David J. Evans Exhibition Fund with additional support provided by the J&AR Foundation; Bill and Kathie Hohns; and the Patron’s Circle. Support from the Netherland-America Foundation and the David J. Evans Exhibition Fund made the catalogue possible.