15 October 2026 – 17 January 2027
The Mauritshuis and the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid join forces for a special exhibition. In this unique exchange, the first-ever between the two museums, the Mauritshuis welcomes twenty-five masterpieces from the world-famous Spanish collection and, in turn, twenty-five gems from The Hague will go on show in Madrid.
The exhibition Thyssen-Bornemisza ❤️ Mauritshuis - Masterpieces from Madrid highlights a selection of exceptional art by world famous European artists: from Jan van Eyck and Albrecht Dürer from the north to El Greco, Bronzino, Antonello da Messina and Piero della Francesca from the south, who are rarely on display together in the Netherlands.
It promises to be a Dutch-Spanish love affair you will never forget: Thyssen-Bornemisza ❤️ Mauritshuis - Masterpieces from Madrid.
Highlights
Reunited...
..and it feels so good!
One of the 25 paintings shown as part of the museum’s permanent collection during the exhibition: Sebastiano del Piombo’s Portrait of Ferry Carondolet and his secretary.
In our painting, Apelles Painting Campaspe by Willem van Haecht, this portrait from the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection can be seen, rendered in minute detail, as one of the many paintings in a magnificent art collection. This is the first time these works have been shown together.
Love also plays the leading role in this Van Haecht painting: the love of art. While Apelles paints a portrait of Campaspe, the mistress of Alexander the Great, he falls in love with her. Alexander is so captivated by the painting that he exchanges his mistress for her portrait.
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Michael Sweerts’ Boy with a Turban from Madrid and Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring are another stunning pair. Sharing a similar colour palette and composition, they form a truly dynamic duo.
Even though these works won’t be displayed as a pair, they will strike up a conversation in their own unique way.
About Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza
Home to an outstanding collection of European art spanning seven centuries, the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid is one of Spain’s most esteemed art museums. The foundations of the collection were laid by the industrial magnate and art collector Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza and later expanded by his son Hans Heinrich.
In 1993, the collection was acquired by the Spanish state and the museum opened its doors in the Palacio de Villahermosa, an elegant 18th-century palace in the heart of Madrid.
About the exchange
