Musée des Beaux-Arts Tournai

The Musée des Beaux- Arts ( German: Museum of Fine Arts) houses paintings and sculptures of the Belgian city of Tournai.

History

The collection of the Belgian painter, philanthropist and art collector Henri van Cutsem (1839-1904) forms the core of the Musée des Beaux -Arts. His legacy, the sculptor Guillaume Charlier (1854-1958) bequeathed this collection to the city of Tournai where it was exhibited in 1905 at City Hall. The First World War delayed, a solution for better presentation of works of art. The inauguration of the designed by Art Nouveau architect Victor Horta Museum was held on 17 June 1928. In addition to the van Cutsem collection, also reached older stands the city of Tournai, and later further donations to the museum.

Collection

Among the 700 works of art, all of which are seen in halls with natural skylight, include images of early Netherlandish painting to 20th-century artists. From the born in Tournai Rogier van der Weyden, the museum has a Madonna with child and also shows in a didactic exhibition all works of the artist as a reproduction in its original size. More pictures of the old masters in the museum are a landscape with three people by Jan Brueghel the Elder, the bird trap by Pieter Brueghel the Younger, the portrait of Barthelemy Alatruye and the Portrait of Marie de Pacy the Master of Flémalle, the portrait of the Duke of Bouillon of Charles Lebrun, a Madonna and Child by Amboise Francken, two flower still life by Jan van Kessel and works by Abel Grimmer, Joris van Son and van Helmont Mathieu. Unclear are the creators of two images, the Jacob Jordaens or Hieronymus Bosch are attributed.

Particularly extensive is the collection of paintings from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century. Among the masterpieces from Van Cutsem collection includes two paintings by Edouard Manet. Next to When Père Lathuille also be issued in 1875 at the Paris Salon painting Argenteuil be seen in the museum. Furthermore, the Museum of Claude Monet shows a view of Cap Martin, by Georges Seurat Les Bas- Butin, Honfleur, by Jules Bastien- Lepage First Holy Communion and the sleeping shepherd and Henri Fantin -Latour next two Blumenstillleben a portrait of Madamoiselle Budgett.

The Belgian painting is represented in the Museum by Franz Courtens, Guillaume van Seraphin Strydonck, Alfred de Knyff, Theodore Verstraete, Louis Gallait, Hippolyte Boulenger, Charles Degroux and Henri de Braekeleer. Among the best known artists of this department include Fernand Khnopff, can be seen from the A Rose titled Portrait of a Lady in the museum. By Theo van Rysselberghe The bathroom and the Museum of James Ensor is an early work entitled duck pond.

Exhibited Works

Jules Bastien- Lepage: The First Communion

Edouard Manet: When Père Lathuille

Georges Seurat: Les Bas- Butin, Honfleur