Exceptional Hieronymus Bosch Goes on Show in Kansas

Part of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s collection for a number of years, the exquisitely painted The Temptation of St. Anthony had came under scrutiny by scholars believing the painting to be by one of Bosch’s followers.
Last on view at the museum in 2003, it was an underdrawing revealed through infrared image technology used by a team of experts researching the painting’s correct attribution that confirmed the panel was indeed by Bosch. It is believed to be part of a larger dismantled triptych.

The significance of these two recent attributions, made possible through scientific and scholarly research, cannot be overstated,’ said Julián Zugazagoitia, Director of the Nelson-Atkins. ‘We are delighted to celebrate these transformative achievements with Kansas City and the international arts community as we see these paintings with new eyes.’

Recently on loan to the Het Noordbrabants Museum, in Bosch’s hometown of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, for a major retrospective commemorating the 500th anniversary of the artist’s death, the confirmation is momentous considering how little of the artist’s work there is, with only a handful currently on view in the United States.

The panel along with the extraordinary Christ Crowned with Thorns, an early Netherlandish painting which has also been recently confirmed as the work of Albrecht Bouts, will go on view in What Lies Beneath: Rediscovering Hieronymus Bosch and Albrecht Bouts.

The exhibition will focus on the academic and scientific techniques used to determine the paintings attribution, giving the public unique insight into the working methods of these important Netherlandish painters.
What Lies Beneath: Rediscovering Hieronymus Bosch and Albrecht Bouts at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 4525 Oak St, Kansas City, MO 64111, USA, +1 816-751-1278 from June 30, 2017.