Erasmus by Massys

Erasmus symposium
Symposium: 23 January 2009

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The symposium will take place in Museum Boijmans van Beuningen on 23 January 2009 from 11:00 to 17:00. Advance registration is required, by mail to: educatie@boijmans.nl or OSK@let.uu.nl, or by telephone to +31 10 441 9471. The fee of 15 euros includes admission to the museum and lunch.

Desiderius Erasmus was a central figure in an extensive network of scholars and thinkers. As the exhibition Images of Erasmus shows, he also stood in close contact to leading artists of his time, such as Quinten Massys, Hans Holbein and Albrecht Dürer. In this symposium various aspects of the exhibition are addressed by a number of renowned speakers. Some of the lectures will be given in English, some in Dutch.

Erasmus by Holbein

Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536) vormde het middelpunt van een uitgebreid netwerk van geleerden en denkers. Zoals de tentoonstelling ‘Erasmus in beeld’ laat zien, onderhield hij daarnaast ook contacten met beeldende kunstenaars, onder wie beroemde meesters als Quinten Massys, Hans Holbein de Jonge en Albrecht Dürer. Bovendien zijn er diverse parallellen en raakvlakken tussen het gedachtegoed van de grote humanist en de beeldende kunst van zijn tijd. Een aantal gerenommeerde sprekers uit binnen- en buitenland belicht uiteenlopende aspecten van het thema van de tentoonstelling.

The Praise of Folly (De Lof der Zotheid)

The exhibition marks the five hundredth anniversary of The Praise of Folly. Erasmus wrote the book in 1509 to mock every conceivable kind of human folly, and it has remained a bestseller throughout the centuries. The work had an immense influence, particularly on artists who began to explore new subjects: misers, swindlers and fools in all sorts of guises. This groundbreaking genre is extensively represented in the exhibition; works include Quinten Massys’s painting The Moneychanger and his Wife, which is being shown in the Netherlands for the first time.

Erasmus lived in a turbulent age marked by uprisings and wars. He spoke out frankly on social ills and corresponded with rulers all over Europe. As his counsellor, Erasmus had close ties with Charles V, who is portrayed in a strikingly restrained manifestation in a painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder. Erasmus deplored the prevailing warmongering and constantly called for peace, although his pacifism applied first and foremost to Christians fighting among themselves—he believed that Europe should defend itself staunchly against the advancing Islamic Ottoman Empire.