Dutch Master’s Evangelists Represent Ukraine at Berlin Art Exhibition

The exhibition “Frans Hals: King of the Fleeting Moment” is coming to an end at the Berlin Art Gallery – the largest exhibition of the Dutch master in history and the central event of the year. Among the 75 exhibited works are about 50 of the most important paintings by Frans Hals (1582-1666) from more than 20 public and private collections in Europe, the United States and Canada. The Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art took part in this large-scale international project.

With nine works housed in the Berlin Art Gallery, it has one of the finest and most valuable collections of Frans Hals paintings in the world. Among them are such masterpieces as “Malle Babbe,” “Catharina Hooft with her Nurse,” and “Singing Boy with Flute.”

In addition to a selection of high-quality works by Hals, the Berlin exhibition also features works by his contemporaries from Haarlem, placing Hals in the context of his time. Among the 75 works on display, around 50 are Hals’ most significant paintings from over 20 public and private collections in Europe, the US and Canada, including such masterpieces as “Marriage Portrait of Isaac Massa and Beatrix van der Laen” from the Rijksmuseum, “Young Man with a Skull” from the National Gallery in London, and “The Lute Player” from the Louvre in Paris.

The project began in the United Kingdom on Sept. 30, 2023, continued in the Netherlands, and from July 12 to Nov. 3, 2024, the final stage is taking place in Berlin.

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Frans Hals epitomizes the Dutch Golden Age, a period of flourishing art, science, and trade. His works reflect not only the artist’s skill but also the spirit of the time when the Netherlands became a cultural and economic center of Europe. According to recent studies, 184 paintings are officially attributed to him, including “The Banquet of the Officers of the St. George Civic Guard,” “The Regents of the Old Men’s Almshouse,” “A Woman Drinking with an Owl,” and many others. These works are housed in the world’s finest galleries and private collections.

Among the masterpieces displayed at the Berlin exhibition, two works from the collection of the Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art stand out – “Evangelist Luke” and “Evangelist Matthew.” These rare canvases, part of a series of portraits of the four evangelists created by Frans Hals in the 1620s, are important examples of the master’s religious painting, who was mainly known for his portraits of secular figures.

These two masterpieces were likely created by Hals for a Catholic or Lutheran church. However, their small size and intimate nature suggest they may have been painted for a private chapel or an underground Catholic church in Haarlem, or perhaps for a private collector.

The masterpieces embody the profound spiritual power and authenticity inherent in early Christian ideals. Through these images, Hals reminds us of the essence of faith, which remains unchanged even in the most difficult times.

The first mention of this cycle dates back to 1760 when it was included in the legacy of the artist Gerard Hoet Jr. The paintings were later acquired in the Netherlands for the Hermitage. In 1771, ships transporting these paintings along with other acquisitions encountered a storm; one of them sank, while the other, damaged, barely made it to the Gulf of Finland. The paintings ended up in the Hermitage’s reserves, where they were not considered particularly significant. They are mentioned in the 1774 Hermitage catalog compiled by Ernst Münnich.

During the revolutionary years of the early 20th century, the works were lost. It was only in 1958 that the painting “Saint Luke” reappeared on the Odesa Privoz market. According to legend, the canvas was bought from an old woman for 9 rubles. However, this story, as museum workers assert, is a fabrication. In reality, both paintings were transferred to the Odesa Gallery of Russian Art in the 1920s and later transferred to the Museum of Western and Eastern Art.

In 1958, both paintings were restored in Kyiv. Art historian Lyudmila Sak was the first to suggest that they might have been created by a member of Hals’ school. Later that year, Hermitage staff member Irina Linnik confirmed that they were the work of Frans Hals.

In the spring of 1965, both paintings were brought to the Pushkin Museum in Moscow for an exhibition of Western European painting from the 15th to the 18th centuries. On March 9, during a cleaning day when the museum was closed to visitors, the painting “Saint Luke” was stolen due to the negligence of museum staff. The canvas was crudely cut from its frame with a dull knife.

“In our Soviet Union, unlike the West, museums are not robbed,” Ekaterina Furtseva said shortly before the theft from the Pushkin Museum.

The painting was severely damaged due to poor storage conditions. The canvas had been rolled up, causing it to crack. It took over two and a half years to restore the painting, and the restoration was carried out by Stepan Churakov, one of the country’s best restorers. After restoration, “Saint Luke” was returned to the Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art.

At various times, these paintings have participated in numerous exhibitions in Haarlem, London, Kyiv, Washington, and have been included in authoritative catalogs. Frans Hals’ paintings were displayed for seven months in Italy at the exhibition “Georges de La Tour: L’Europa della luce” Milan’s Palazzo Reale in 2020. The works from the Odesa Museum were presented alongside paintings from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Uffizi Gallery, the Vatican Pinacoteca, and other museums.

There are no works of such caliber in Ukraine. They are of immense significance both for the national and global cultural community, as they represent some of the finest examples of Dutch Golden Age painting. Frans Hals’ art, as represented in Ukraine, is an important cultural asset that should be preserved and promoted.

This international project is taking place at a time when the Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Over a century of its existence, the museum has become one of Ukraine’s most important cultural institutions, preserving and exhibiting invaluable works of art of global significance. Currently, works from the collection are on display at the Berlin Gemäldegalerie, helping to preserve Ukraine’s cultural heritage and present it to the global community.