VAN EYCK, An optical revolution by Till-Holger Borchert : (BRAFA ART TALKS 2020)

A lecture given by Till-Holger Borchert, Director of the Musea Brugge and Co-curator of the exhibition of the same name at the Museum of Fine Arts Ghent In this talk, Till-Holger Borchert discussed the preparations and research underway for the largest Jan van Eyck exhibition ever. Only about twenty works by this Flemish master have been preserved worldwide. At least half of them travelled to Ghent in 2020 for the exhibition Van Eyck. An Optical Revolution at the Fine Arts Museum in Ghent that took place from 1 February until it had to close earlier than planned (30 April 2020) due to the coronavirus pandemic. The masterpiece at the centre of the exhibition was without doubt the Retable of the Mystic Lamb which has undergone extensive study and restoration since 2012. In order to ensure visitors could fully appreciate Van Eyck’s revolutionary optical approach, his paintings were shown next to about a hundred works by great artists working at the same time as him from Germany, Spain, France and Italy. This talk was organized in partnership with CODART, the international network of museum curators specialising in Flemish and Dutch painting. Till-Holger Borchert has been a member of CODART since 2001. Video : Matthieu Wolmark