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What happens when new masters pick up where old masters left off? On the occasion of the bicentenary of the Mauritshuis in The Hague, the museum asked contemporary photographers to reflect on the permanent collection. Which masters capture their imagination? How do they interpret 17th-century art?

The result: 16 new works by 16 contemporary photographs, including Erwin Olaf, Rineke Dijkstra, Anton Corbijn and Stephan Vanfleteren, one for each room in the Mauritshuis. The new works will be displayed alongside the 17th-century works that inspired them and will be put equally next to each other in this luxury book.

The photographers were entirely free to select what they wanted to work with. For some it was a painting, for another a detail from a painting, or even an entire room in the museum. Expect to see original and surprising reflections on 17th-century art: counterparts, commentaries, alternatives. None of the photographs is a remake of the original painting. One thing is certain: you will never look at Rembrandt, Vermeer or Steen in the same way.


Text in English and Dutch.