Exhibition Pride of place: Dutch cityscapes of the Golden Age (National Gallery of Art, Washington)
8 February–3 May 2009

Gerrit Berckheyde (1638-1698), The Zijlpoort in Haarlem, ca. 1670 Stockholm, Nationalmuseum

In the 17th century a new genre of painting — the cityscape — emerged, fostered by the booming economy of the Dutch Republic and its affluent urbanites. Images of towns and cities became expressions of enormous civic pride. This exhibition of some 48 paintings, as well as 22 maps, atlases, illustrated books, and prints, offers a comprehensive survey of the Dutch cityscape, from wide-angle panoramas depicting the urban skyline with its fortifications, windmills, and church steeples, to renderings of daily life along canals, in city streets, and in town squares. Joining Jacob van Ruisdael’s celebrated Haarlem with the Bleaching Fields (c. 1670–1675) are works by some 40 Dutch masters. Primarily active in Amsterdam, Delft, and Haarlem, these artists include Gerrit Berckheyde, Aelbert Cuyp, Jan van Goyen, Jan van der Heyden, Pieter de Hooch, Hendrick Vroom, Pieter Saenredam, and Jan Steen.
The exhibition coincides with the 400th anniversary of the Dutch exploration and settlement of the Hudson River Valley (From the museum website, 12 January 2009)

Website Henry Hudson 400Year

Henry Hudson 400 New York and Amsterdam were created in 2006 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s legendary voyage for the Dutch to the Hudson River and New York. The unique character of New York City, originally New Amsterdam, has been shaped by the legacy of the multiethnic and tolerant culture of 17th century Amsterdam. Besides celebrating the historic event with a series of special events in 2009, Henry Hudson 400 will promote future ties between these two great cities which are linked by their shared belief in the value of free, diverse, and entrepreneurial societies.