'Facing Van Eyck' exhibition comes to Berlin
The interactive installation 'Facing Van Eyck. The Miracle of Detail' is back on show! From 20 October to 3 March 2024, it will be on show at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, as part of the exhibition 'Zoom auf van Eyck. Meisterwerke im Detail'.
The Gemäldegalerie (Paintings Gallery) in Berlin will host an exhibition devoted entirely to the works of the world-famous Flemish painter Jan van Eyck (c. 1390-1441). The exhibition combines paintings by Van Eyck from the museum's collection with the interactive installation 'Facing Van Eyck. The Miracle of Detail', already on show at Bozar in Brussels in 2020-2021. This installation is the culmination of KIK-IRPA's acclaimed VERONA project. This immersive virtual experience plunges visitors into the fascinating pictorial world of the most famous of the Flemish Primitives.
Results of the VERONA project
The Berlin exhibition, 'Zoom auf van Eyck', presents 'Facing Van Eyck. The Miracle of Detail'. It is a true immersion in Van Eyck's work through an interactive digital projection of twenty of his paintings. Designed by Hovertone, it is based on ultra-high resolution images taken by KIK-IRPA between 2014 and 2020 as part of the Van Eyck Research in OpeN Access (VERONA) research project, led by Bart Fransen. A team of experts from KIK-IRPA travelled no fewer than 25,000 kilometres to photograph all the works by Van Eyck still preserved today, scattered across the four corners of the globe.
A masterful technique
The projections in the 'Zoom on van Eyck' exhibition allow visitors to zoom in on the smallest details of Van Eyck's works, bringing out the full extent of the artist's technical virtuosity, mastery of oil painting, and unrivalled sense of detail. For the occasion, the Gemäldegalerie is also exhibiting its collection of paintings by Jan van Eyck and his entourage, some of which have been freshly restored.
Online immersion
Don't miss the Closer to Van Eyck website. With a single click, you can discover all the visual material from the VERONA project, available free of charge, and zoom in to the finest detail on the scientific images of Van Eyck's paintings that have survived. Closer to Van Eyck' was recently ranked as one of the most remarkable websites of the moment by the British newspaper The Guardian. "Zoom in to the tiniest brushstroke, the slightest crack, scrutinise the X-rays and infrared reflectography, immerse yourself in the fascinating history and iconography, and do as those snobbish experts on Fake or Fortune do... Hours of entertainment guaranteed!" comments the Guardian.
"This incredible site is dedicated to Jan van Eyck’s much-stolen Ghent Altarpiece, featuring the 15th-century Flemish master’s deeply weird Adoration of the Mystic Lamb. Zoom in on every brushstroke and piece of craquelure, check out the X-ray and infrared imaging, delve deep into the strange history and iconography and pretend you are one of the posh experts on Fake or Fortune … hours of fun."
More KIK-IRPA news
Chancellor Rolin in 3.5 billion pixels. A masterpiece by Van Eyck as you've never seen it before
The Louvre in Paris recently solicited the services of KIK-IRPA for the exhibition 'Revoir Van Eyck. La Vierge du Chancelier Rolin', which runs until June 17, 2024. The painting of The Madonna of Chancellor Rolin, freshly restored, was captured in images again by our teams. Moreover, it got its own section on the Closer to Van Eyck website.
Third phase Ghent Altarpiece: First results promise stunning outcome
Since May 2023, the third and final phase of the large-scale conservation-restoration campaign of the altarpiece of the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb by the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA) is ongoing. In recent months, the KIK-IRPA team have been removing non-original varnishes and have carried out a thorough examination of the paint layers underneath. Currently, following the advice of the international commission of experts, they have started removing 16th-century overpaints. Already the first results are breathtakingly beautiful.