Clara Peeters

Clara Peeters zaalzicht Expo ZeldzaamOnmisbaar_© Jeroen Broeckx
Clara Peeters zaalzicht Expo ZeldzaamOnmisbaar_© Jeroen Broeckx
En pleno barroco, Clara Peeters (ca. 1587 - después de 1637) llevó el bodegón al siguiente nivel. Esta pionera entre los maestros flamencos ya era apreciada en todo el mundo. Descubre la obra de esta contemporánea de Peter Paul Rubens en su ciudad natal de Amberes.

La reina del bodegón

En el siglo XVII, el barroco vivió su apogeo en Amberes. Grandes como Peter Paul Rubens y Antoon van Dyck son exponentes de aquella época opulenta. Clara Peeters, la reina del bodegón, también se merece un lugar entre ellos. Vivió y trabajó en Amberes. Probablemente fuera aprendiz de Osias Beert, un conocido pintor de bodegones.    

Pero Clara Peeters era más que eso. Pronto ella misma se convirtió en pionera, desarrollando el bodegón como género. Como ninguna otra, dio vida a lo cotidiano. Comenzó de forma discreta, con pequeñas y detalladas escenas de comida y bebida, demostrando una enorme habilidad. Más tarde, sus bodegones evolucionaron hacia composiciones más fastuosas con objetos preciosos como tazas de metal decoradas, monedas de oro y flores exóticas.    

Más adelante en su carrera, pintó elaboradas escenas de banquetes con coloridos ramos de flores, pan blando, peces resbaladizos, porcelana brillante y cristal reflectante. Muy típico de Clara Peeters: a menudo añadía un autorretrato en miniatura, como en el reflejo de una jarra, por ejemplo. 

Clara Peeters, Stilleven met vis, inv.nr. 834, foto Hugo Maertens, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen - Collectie V_© Fille Roelants
Clara Peeters, Stilleven met vis, inv.nr. 834, foto Hugo Maertens, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen - Collectie V_© Fille Roelants

Reconocimiento internacional

De París a Londres, de Hamburgo a Bruselas. Tras su muerte, la obra de Peeters llegó a todos los rincones de Europa. Para entonces, sus bodegones ya formaban parte de la próspera economía de exportación de pinturas de Amberes.  

Clara Peeters - detail Bloemen in een vaasje met knabbelende muis - collectie Museum Mayer van den Bergh_© Ans Brys
Clara Peeters – detalle de Flores en un jarrón con un ratón mordisqueando

Clara Peeters en Flandes

Hoy se conocen unas cuarenta obras de Clara Peeters. Su obra está repartida por todo el mundo, pero para conocerla a fondo, el mejor lugar es Amberes. 

  • En el Real Museo de Bellas Artes de Amberes (KMSKA) podrás admirar su obra maestra Bodegón con peces. Las obras de los maestros flamencos gozan de fama mundial, pero encuentran el camino de vuelta a casa en Flandes. Por ejemplo, «Bodegón con peces» actualmente recorre todo el mundo en una exposición sobre mujeres artistas. Volverá al KMSKA en junio de 2026. 

Síguenos en @The Flemish Masters

✨ Here’s another highlight of the cultural autumn in Flanders — and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Last weekend, Jenny Montigny opened at mskgent, inviting visitors into the poetic world of one of the most remarkable Flemish Impressionists of her generation.

Through paintings, pastels, drawings and prints, discover Montigny’s remarkable eye for light, colour and everyday life — from the rural landscapes along the River Lys to intimate scenes of motherhood and domestic life.

Bringing together works ...
Flemish painters travelled to Italy in search of the Renaissance. But they weren’t the only ones crossing the Alps. 

Flemish sculptors made the journey too — and their influence on Italian Renaissance art is the fascinating story behind ‘Scultori Fiamminghi. Flemish Sculptors’ in Italy, which opened last weekend at m.leuven.

Just as Italian ideas, styles and techniques travelled north and transformed Flemish painting, Flemish artists brought their own expertise and visual language to Italy. Their work ...
Last weekend, our first exhibition highlight of the season opened its doors. 🎨
bozarbrussels presents 'Jean Brusselmans. Painter by Nature’, the first major retrospective of his work since 1980.

Brusselmans developed a distinctive visual language, independent of artistic trends yet deeply rooted in painterly tradition. His intimate connection to the Brabant landscape around Brussels, and his modest way of life, found expression in paintings poised between abstraction and figuration.

Bringing together s...
This painting changed someone’s life forever.

You are looking at The Skaters by Emile Claus.

At the age of sixteen, Jenny Montigny reportedly stood in front of this painting at the Museum of Fine Arts Ghent. The encounter left such a lasting impression that it set her on the path to becoming an artist.

Now, more than a century after her major retrospective in Ghent in 1922, Montigny returns to mskgent.

From 10 October 2026, a major retrospective will bring together her intimate and luminous paintings...
A change of season 🍂

Summer is officially over, and autumn is here — bringing golden light, warm colours and that unmistakable feeling of change.

A feast for the eyes? Look no further than Autumn by Rik Wouters. Painted in 1913, this vibrant scene captures the season in all its colour and warmth.

Consider it an invitation to enjoy an autumn city break in Flanders. So grab your scarf, pack your suitcase and come discover an art-filled autumn. 🍁

Stay tuned for more Flemish art, exhibitions and inspirat...
After 14 years of painstaking work, the restoration of one of the most iconic masterpieces of late medieval art is nearing completion.

The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb — better known as the Ghent Altarpiece — is slowly revealing its full splendour, bringing us closer than ever to the extraordinary vision of Hubert and Jan van Eyck.

Now entering its final months, the restoration campaign offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes. Visitors can still see the experts of kikirpa.be at work in their studio at ...
🎒 Back to school — and into a luminous cultural autumn! ✨

What better painting to mark both moments than ‘The Village School’ by Jenny 
Montigny (1875–1937), one of Belgium’s remarkable female artists?

From October, the mskgent will present a major retrospective of her work — more than a century after Montigny organised her first retrospective in Ghent in 1922.

The connection with the museum is especially fitting: at just sixteen, Montigny reportedly visited the museum and was captivated by Emile Clau...
Let’s stick around at Museum hofvanbusleyden a little longer. And let’s turn the spotlight on a female master for a change. Yes, women were masters too! Although they often had to fight for their place.

Meet Maria Faydherbe (1587–1643), a sculptor born and working in Mechelen. She was so confident in her own abilities that she openly competed with her male colleagues. She petitioned to join the Guild of Saint Luke, but she was refused. Instead, she was forced to work in her family’s workshop, without be...
During the Burgundian-Habsburg period, Mechelen played an important role in the education and upbringing of Habsburg princesses. Mary of Hungary spent part of her childhood here and was raised and educated alongside other members of the dynasty.

Their stories offer a fascinating glimpse into the role of women in sixteenth-century European politics, diplomacy and dynastic power. 

There is no better place to discover this legacy than at Museum hofvanbusleyden in Mechelen.

A newly acquired portrait of a ...
A hidden Ensor painting has finally come to light. 👀🎨

A previously unknown painting by James Ensor has been acquired by the city of Ostend and is now on display at the Ensor House.

The recently rediscovered painting portrays Ensor's mother at the age of 65. In true Ensor fashion, it is anything but flattering. Displayed beneath the portrait of a young woman and titled Débris – French for "wreck" or "remains" – the work offers a bold reflection on vanity, beauty and the passing of time.

Even more remar...