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Bucerius Kunst Forum’s Newest Exhibit: The World Upside Down. Hieronymus Bosch’s Century

June 4, 2016 to September 11, 2016

The most contemporary and powerful aspects of the work of Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516) were his depictions of hell and his incorporation of subjects that appealed to the common person. To mark the 500 years since his death, the Bucerius Kunst Forum is highlighting how his scenes of hell and dramatic depictions of sin influenced Netherlandish art in the sixteenth century.

The generation following Bosch took up and refined his visual language. His unique imagery and subjects were adopted by artists of the next generation. They took up, refined his visual language and furthermore spread it widely through printed illustrations and reproductions. However, Bosch’s followers not only disseminated his unique visual language through prints, but they also continued to develop it against the backdrop of the cultural upheaval that occurred in the sixteenth century. Therefore the reception of his work changed along with cultural and intellectual ideas from the end of the Middle Ages into the seventeenth century.

Viewers to this day are fascinated by copperplate engravings based on compositions by Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Bruegel the Elder, the most important successor to Bosch’s work. They show absurd monsters of the underworld, warn against vice and sin, illustrate proverbs, and make ironic statements regarding human foolishness. When the fear of damnation and hell abated around 1600, moralizing scenes began to focus on earthly life, and the terrifying monsters were transformed into entertaining grotesques.

Bucerius Kunst Forum

Located in the heart of Hamburg next to the Rathaus, the Bucerius Kunst Forum invites its visitors to take part in a stimulating encounter with artistic masterpieces. Interpreted from a contemporary perspective, international art from ancient to modern times is shown in four rotating exhibition each year. Since its foundation in 2002, the Bucerius Kunst Forum has become one of the leading exhibition houses in northern Germany.

All exhibitions are supplemented with a versatile program of events: Concerts, lectures, readings and discussions illustrate the subject of each exhibition from the perspective of the various arts. You can visit the website here.