Dutch painter exhibit, full program coming to the Currier

By Felicia Menard
HippoPress.com

The Currier Gallery of Art is hosting a comprehensive exhibition of the work of Jan Miense Molenaer, a prolific Dutch painter. The exhibit will run from Friday, April 4 through June 16.

The Currier's "Card Players," acquired in 2001, is the centerpiece of this wide-ranging exhibit. Nearly 40 paintings gathered from around the world are included in the exhibit, which was organized by the North Carolina Museum of Art. A 204-page, fully illustrated color catalog with three essays by leading scholars in the field of Northern European art accompanies the exhibition.
Molenaer was a contemporary of Rembrandt van Rijn, a student of Frans Hals and husband to artist Judith Leyster.

The exhibition explores every period of Molenaer's productive career as well as the artist's treatment of many subjects. Molenaer painted portraits, genre scenes of everyday life, theatrical performances and religious themes. Many of the scenes are comical. In one, an ostentatiously dressed "dentist" extracts a man's tooth, while a laughing woman looks on. In the "Card Players," painted in 1635, a peasant is duped at a game of cards, providing the entertainment for a group of cavaliers. Many of the paintings depict people smoking, drinking, singing, playing music and making merry. In "The Duet," a man and woman play stringed instruments in a carefully arranged room interior. A later painting, "An Itinerant Ballad Reader on a Bridge," depicts a crowd listening to a man reading a paper and shows the artist's ability to paint an outdoor village scene.

In a related show, "Goltzius to Rembrandt: Printmaking in the Time of Jan Miense Molenaer," the Currier is simultaneously exhibiting more than 30 Dutch 17th-century prints. Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617) was a Dutch Harlem printmaker known for his exaggerated renderings of subject and form. By the first half of the 17th century, however, Rembrandt and Molenaer were creating a new style characterized by simple composition and realistic draftsmanship. The show includes six prints by Rembrandt and also features Dutch landscapes, portraits and religious and mythological themes.

The Currier is planning lectures, tours and a painting demonstration to complement the Molenaer exhibition. Special focus tours are scheduled for three Sundays: April 13, May 18 and June 8, which highlight the Currier's collection of 17th century Dutch and Flemish paintings. On May 4, associate curator Kurt Sundstrom will host a walk through the exhibition. On Sunday, June 1, the Currier offers a docent-led tour of the exhibition specifically designed for children and their families.

Two authors of the exhibition catalog will lecture at the Currier during the exhibition's run. Dennis Weller, curator of Northern European Art at the North Carolina Museum of Art and the organizer of the exhibition, will present a lecture, "Jan Miense Molenaer: Innovation and Influence" on Thursday, May 8. Mariet Westermann, director of the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University, will present a slide talk on Thursday, May 22.

Alex Farquharson will demonstrate Dutch master painting techniques in a special program on Saturday, May 17.

A three-part series offered by the Currier and a collaboration with the Educational Continuum at Southern New Hampshire University will explore the role tulips play in the art, gardens and history of Holland.

On April 24, Frank Wallace will discuss the lute and play pieces dating from the Dutch Golden Age. On Sunday, May 4, the Trefoil Trio will perform early music on period instruments, including the lute. Finally, on Thursday, June 12, the UNH Faculty Early Music Ensemble will perform with lute, winds and voice.

"Jan Miense Molenaer: Painter of the Dutch Golden Age" at the Currier Museum of Art, April 4 through June 16. The Currier Museum of Art is located at 201 Myrtle Way and is wheelchair accessible. Museum hours are Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Thursday 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.; and Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. The museum is closed on Tuesdays. Admission to "Jan Miense Molenaer: Painter of the Dutch Golden Age" is free to Currier members. Non-member admission: adults $5; seniors and students $4; children under 18 free. Free to all on Saturdays 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. For more information, call 669-6144, ext. 108 or visit www.currier.org.

Felicia Menard can be reached at hippo@hippopress.com