Frans Hals at the Rijksmuseum

Hals' works are on display for the first time in Amsterdam

Following the celebrated solo exhibitions of Vermeer and Rembrandt in 2024, the Rijksmuseum presents Frans Hals, an exhibition of some 50 of the Dutch master’s greatest paintings, many on loan from top international collections. The exhibition runs from 16 February to 9 June 2024. Frans Hals is regarded as one of the most innovative artists of the 17th century for his brisk, impressionistic painting style. With unparalleled boldness and talent, he captured the vitality of his subjects – from stately regents to cheerful musicians and children – and made them live and breathe on the canvas.

The Rijksmuseum exhibition provides a landmark moment as Frans Hals’s most celebrated painting, The Laughing Cavalier (1624), returns to the Netherlands for the first time in 150 years. It will travel from the Wallace Collection, London, where it has hung since 1870. The portrait’s temporary return to the Netherlands follows the London Museum’s historic decision in 2019 to loan out artworks for the first time.

Who was Frans Hals

Frans Hals was born in Antwerp in 1582 as the son of a weaver. In 1585, the family fled the Spaniards and ended up in Haarlem. Frans was trained there by painter Karel van Mander.

In 1610, he became a member of the Haarlem Painter's Guild and an independent painter with pupils and assistants, including Judith Leyster. Frans Hals became famous, admired and sometimes reviled for his 'rough style'. He mainly painted portraits but also made masterful militia pieces. Frans Hals died in 1666 and is buried in the Grote Kerk in Haarlem.

Unprecedented mobility

The masterpieces in the exhibition make it clear that Frans Hals set himself the goal of depicting a living - and therefore moving - human being as convincingly as possible. He deliberately and with guts went in search of his own completely original style within Dutch 17th-century painting.

Hals opted for the rapid brushstroke that gave his subjects unprecedented dexterity. The exhibition also examines the depicted persons' identity and environment, which brings them to life even more.

For example, Malle Babbe must have been a well-known figure in the streets of Haarlem, and his Peeckelhaering was probably an English actor who toured the Netherlands with a theatre company. To learn more and buy tickets, go to the website for all the information.

Information for City Card holders

The Frans Hals exhibition is free of charge for City Card holders. However, it is important to book a time slot in advance and choose the option that includes the Frans Hals exhibition.