Blut und Tränen

About this book

With prestigious loans from the National Gallery London, the Prado Museum and the Louvre among others, the exhibition Blood & Tears. Albrecht Bouts and the Image of the Passion brings together for the first time exceptional works from the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Albrecht Bouts (1451/55-1549) is the son of Dirk Bouts (ca. 1415-1475), a renowned Early Netherlandish painter with a pan-European reputation. He takes over his father's workshop in 1475 and runs it until his death in 1549. Albrecht specializes in portraits of Christ, the Holy Virgin and Saint John the Baptist for contemplation. This movement, known as Devotio Moderna, encourages the faithful to pray in private in front of devotional images to stimulate empathy. In order to satisfy a growing demand for such images, Albrecht Bout's workshop expands into a large enterprise, producing paintings in great number. While some are based on famous prototypes by Dirk Bouts, Albrecht creates a number of successful new compositions. Exhibition: Musée National d'Histoire et d'Art, Luxembourg City, Luxemburg (07.10.2016-12.02.2017) / Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum, Aachen, Germany (08.03.-11.06.2017).