Aelbert Cuyp is one of the seventeenth century’s most famous landscape painters. In the eighteenth century, he gained huge popularity in England. Collectors paid record prices for his work, and artists such as Gainsborough, Turner and Constable were inspired by Cuyp’s landscapes and golden light.
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© A. Cuyp, Gezicht op Dordrecht, ca. 1650, National Gallery of Art, Washington -
© J.M.W. Turner, Rotterdam Ferry Boat, National Gallery of Art, Washington -
© A. Cuyp, De Valkhof te Nijmegen, ca. 1660, Woburn Abbey -
© J. Constable, Regenstorm over de zee, Royal Academy of Arts, Londen
- Admire masterpieces by Cuyp next to masterpieces Gainsborough, Turner and Constable.
- Discover the ‘golden light’ in Aelbert Cuyp’s idyllic landscapes for yourself.
- Retrospective exhibition on the most famous Dutch Master from Dordrecht.
Cuyp’s golden light
In Holland, the landscape painter Aelbert Cuyp was known primarily in Dordrecht, his hometown, which makes his influence on 18th-century English painters that much more remarkable. Famous artists such as Gainsborough, Turner and Constable were impressed by his idyllic landscapes, which were bathed in soft light. They called him the ‘Dutch Claude’ after the popular French painter Claude Lorrain. The exhibition shows masterpieces by Cuyp side by side with masterpieces from British landscape painters.
Cuyp Mania
Art collectors in England were crazy about Cuyp’s work, too. English aristocrats loved to show off his sunny landscapes with cattle or horsemen. Aelbert Cuyp’s work became so popular abroad in such a short time that none of his major works remained in Holland by 1800. He had sparked a true ‘Cuyp Mania’. Today the English still love Cuyp. Even the British queen owns works he has made. Therefore, it may come as no surprise that there are two works on loan from the Royal Family that can be admired in the exhibition.
