Youthful Ambition: Anthony van Dyck’s ‘Self-Portrait as Icarus’

Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck was not yet 20 years old when he painted Self-Portrait as Icarus with Daedalus in about 1618. The artist announced his abilities and ambitions in the painting, depicting himself as a classical symbol of youthful transgression. In this virtual program organized by the Center for Netherlandish Art, join leading experts on Flemish art to take a closer look at the recently rediscovered work, which is a promised gift to the MFA from the Van Otterloo Collection. Explore Van Dyck’s motivations behind the painting and the pictorial traditions from which it emerged. Also learn about other paintings by Van Dyck at the MFA—including Portrait of a Senator, a promised gift from the Weatherbie Collection—and preview the Museum’s plans for displaying works by Van Dyck and other Flemish masters in the new galleries of Dutch and Flemish art, opening fall 2021. Yves Wantens, General Delegate of Flanders to the USA Christopher Atkins, Van Otterloo-Weatherbie Director, Center for Netherlandish Art Katlijne Van der Stighelen, professor of Early Modern Art History, KU Leuven (University of Leuven), Belgium Larry Silver, James and Nan Wagner Farquhar Professor Emeritus, University of Pennsylvania Roundtable conversation moderated by Antien Knaap, assistant curator, Art of Europe, MFA Supported by the Delegation of Flanders to the USA. This virtual event was held on June 8, 2021.