Masters of the North
Vermeer, Rembrandt, Rubens and the Dutch and Flemish painters who turned art toward everyday life.
In the 17th century the painters of the Low Countries did something extraordinary. They turned from the grand religious and historical subjects that had ruled European art and looked instead at the world around them: light through a window, a woman reading a letter, a scholar at his globe, a winter landscape.
The result was one of the greatest flowerings of painting in history. The Louvre's collection of Dutch and Flemish masters is outstanding, and this tour moves through it with the care these works deserve.
What you will see
We move between the Dutch and Flemish schools, what divides them and what they share: Vermeer's Astronomer and Lacemaker, Rembrandt's self-portraits and late Bathsheba, the energy of Rubens, and the intimate domestic scenes of the genre painters.
It is a natural choice for anyone who loves painting and wants to understand one of its most important chapters, and especially rewarding for those with a tie to the Netherlands, Belgium or Britain. If a painter draws you, mention it when you enquire.
Holland · Flanders · the everyday made eternal
Pépin's advice
Get close to Vermeer. There are only two Vermeers in French public collections, and both are here. They are small, quiet, and worth every minute of attention.
Watch the light. Northern painting is a study in light. Once you start tracking where it falls and why, every picture in the room opens up.
Good to know
The Louvre does not open every gallery every day. The museum is closed on Tuesdays, and the rooms for this tour also rest on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Any other day works well, which is why we steer your visit there. Very occasionally a room opens late, or not at all, for operational reasons the museum does not announce in advance. If that happens it is beyond anyone's control, and we simply turn to another part of the collection so your time is never lost. With more than thirty-five thousand works on display, the Louvre is never short of something remarkable, and a private guide can reshape the visit on the spot in a way a fixed group tour never could.
