Pieter Bruegel the Elder engraved by Pieter van der Heyden, Patience (Patientia), 1557. Engraving, 335 x 430 mm © Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main

Frankfurt am Main - Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1526/30–1569) is regarded as one of the outstanding artists of sixteenth-century Dutch art. His works transport viewers into a fascinating world of humorous visual ideas and enigmatic motifs. Although he is today primarily known as a painter, he made a name for himself early on through his designs for prints. In the exhibition Bruegel. Printed, the Städel Museum brings together around forty-five exceptional prints based on Bruegel’s drawings. They reveal him as a unique innovator and an inimitable storyteller, whose motifs range from vast landscapes to secular and religious allegories and scenes of everyday life.

Bruegel’s prints were created in close collaboration with the Antwerp publisher Hieronymus Cock and his wife, Volcxken Diericx. They convey a vivid impression of the artist’s unique visual world, which combines observation and imagination. Drawing on his fondness for the detailed, grotesque motifs of Hieronymus Bosch and his broad knowledge of pictorial and thematic traditions, he developed new forms of representation for traditional themes. His compositions, which frequently employ exaggeration, make the audience laugh while simultaneously prompting reflection. Bruegel addresses human weaknesses and social ills, highlights the grandeur of nature, and simultaneously turns his gaze to everyday social interactions. To this day, his works offer surprisingly contemporary perspectives on fundamental questions of human values.
The starting point for the exhibition at the Städel is Bruegel’s prints from the museum’s own collection, of which around thirty are on display. This selection is complemented by loans from the Albertina in Vienna and the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung in Munich. In addition, the exhibition features two paintings by his son, Pieter Brueghel the Younger, as well as further sheets from the Städel Museum’s impressive collection of Dutch prints, including works after Frans Floris, Lambert Lombard and Raphael.

The exhibition is made possible by funding from the Städelscher Museums-Verein.

Philipp Demandt, Director of the Städel Museum, on the exhibition: “With our exhibition on Bruegel’s prints, the Städel once again offers a glimpse into the extraordinary treasures of its Collection of Prints and Drawings, which, with around 100,000 sheets ranging from the late Middle Ages to the present day, ranks among the most significant collections of its kind in Germany. Visitors are invited to embark on an impressive journey of discovery through Bruegel’s multi-layered visual worlds, full of narrative power, subtle observations and surprising details.”

Astrid Reuter, Head of Prints and Drawings before 1800 at the Städel Museum: “Bruegel’s pictorial inventions were already in high demand during his lifetime. They served not only for entertainment but also formed the subject of scholarly discussions. The particular appeal of his works arises from the interplay of closeness to nature, ingenuity and humorous exaggeration. Valued as imaginative creations offering critical reflections on human values and behaviour, his works continue to inspire discovery, reflection and laughter to this day.”

Pieter Bruegel the Elder Etched and Engraved by Jan and Lucas van Doetecum, St Jerome in the Wilderness, ca. 1555. Etching and engraving,326 x 432 mm © Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main

Pieter Bruegel the Elder engraved by Philipp Galle, Temperance (Temperantia), ca. 1560. Engraving, 220 x 287 mm © Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main

Pieter Bruegel the Elder engraved by Pieter van der Heyden, The Big Fish Eat the Little Fish, 1570.  Engraving, 228 x 295 mm © Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main

Pieter Bruegel the Elder engraved by Pieter van der Heyden, Everyman, ca. 1558. Engraving, 228 x 295 mm © ALBERTINA, Vienna

Pieter Bruegel the Elder engraved by Pieter van der Heyden, Sloth, 1558. Engraving, 223 x 293 mm © ALBERTINA, Vienna

Pieter Brueghel the Younger after Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Dance at the Peasant Wedding, ca. 1625. Mixed technique on wood, 41.9 x 22.3 cm © Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main

Pieter Bruegel the Elder Engraved by Philipp Galle, Prudence. Engraving, 228 x 295 mm © Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main