Dieric Bouts, back in Leuven
The 15th-century Flemish Master expands your horizons once again
Dieric Bouts is back in Leuven this autumn to do what he mastered more than five centuries ago: expanding horizons. The 15th-century Flemish Master was an innovator who eagerly explored new horizons, therefor he is still an inspiration to many today. The ‘New Horizons’-themed city festival allows the public to discover numerous new horizons through a broad cultural programme: from art and music to theatre and lectures. The online ticket sale of the international retrospective exhibition 'Dieric Bouts. Creator of images’ at M Leuven, the festival's highlight, starts today.
'Dieric Bouts. Creator of images’ opens its doors at M Leuven from 20 October. Never have so many works by the Flemish Master been brought together in his hometown. Moreover, the visitor gets a totally new perspective on work that was made more than five centuries ago – through a radical confrontation with today's visual culture.
Mohamed Ridouani, mayor of Leuven: 'Dieric Bouts was a pioneer of his time as a inhabitant of Leuven and as a city painter. With this retrospective for an international audience, we honour him as an innovator and explorer of new horizons and put Leuven on the international cultural map.'
'This international retrospective is one of the cultural highlights in Flanders this autumn. I expect many visitors to come and admire the work of one of the most important Flemish Masters. We therefore encourage the public not to wait too long to purchase an online ticket. Or why not immediately plan a weekend trip on this occasion? The festival offers lots of activities to discover Leuven as Bouts' home town,' says Bert Cornillie, alderman for culture, president of M Leuven and co-chairman of KU[N]ST Leuven.
‘The Last Supper’ by Dieric Bouts – one of his most iconic works of art – is temporarily moving from Saint Peter's Church to M Leuven for the retrospective exhibition. Meanwhile, in the church, American visual artist Jill Magid's multimedia installation will be on display: a contemplation in image and sound on the triptych's dismantling and forced migration since the early 18th century.
With a wide range of events, New Horizons | Dieric Bouts Festival inspires young and old with so much more than visual art. In Leuven's historic town hall, Bouts comes back to life via a digital Bouts trail. In addition, from 7 to 17 December, Ocean Of Sound, Belgium's first 4D music festival organised by STUK, immerses audiences in an ocean of sound through live concerts, intimate listening sessions and a four-dimensional club night. True to the pioneering spirit and to the perspective painting of Bouts in his day, 4DSOUND now treats us to new musical experience perspectives, from old-school stereo to four-dimensional listening. Furthermore, the Dieric Bouts Festival offers a quirky Fringe trail with exhibitions and performances, the surprising ‘(Un)chained Knowledge’ exhibition in the KU Leuven University Library and much more.
Bart Raymaekers, Rectorial Advisor Arts, Culture and Heritage KU Leuven and co-chairman of KU[N]ST Leuven, concludes: 'The foundation of the university in Bouts' time gave a tremendous boost to the city and its cultural climate. Those who want to discover Bouts' story and are open to new horizons and explorations will be surprised for four months this autumn.'
New Horizons | Dieric Bouts Festival is an initiative of KU[N]ST Leuven, a collaboration between the city of Leuven, KU Leuven and partners. The city festival has been qualified as a top event by the Flemish Government with funding from EventFlanders.
New Horizons | Dieric Bouts Festival kicks off with a festive opening week from 22 to 30 September 2023. The exhibition 'Dieric Bouts. Creator of images’ at M Leuven will run from 20 October 2023 to 14 January 2024. Curator: Dr Peter Carpreau.
Online tickets for 'Dieric Bouts. Creator of images' at M Leuven via www.diericboutsfestival.be
Bouts who?
Dieric Bouts (c. 1410-1475) proudly stands alongside greats like Jan Van Eyck and Rogier Van der Weyden. He is one of the most influential Flemish Masters. The painter spent most of his life in Leuven, where he painted his best panels. Works can be seen at world-class museums such as the Paris Louvre, Madrid’s Prado, The National Gallery in London, San Francisco’s Fine Arts Museum, and the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. In Leuven's St Peter's Church, you can still admire his magnus opus 'The Last Supper' and 'The Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus'. Even in his time, Bouts expanded his horizons by exploring new horizons. For instance, he was one of the first artists from the Northern Netherlands to successfully apply the scientific line perspective. He was a genius in landscape compositions that take the viewer into the distance. And they are truly new horizons because Bouts built unseen, imaginative worlds. The painter also capitalised on the success of devotional portraits: a more personal religious experience in which the example of Christ serves as a life guide.
About KU[N]ST Leuven
KU[N]ST Leuven organizes major cultural city festivals in collaboration with numerous other associations, and the University of Leuven (KU Leuven). These festivals aim to bring together heritage, science, and innovation in a remarkable way.
These city festivals typically culminate in an international exhibition at M - Museum Leuven. The chosen theme of the festival is thoroughly examined through various disciplines and perspectives and offers a broad cultural program which includes theatre, dance, concerts, exhibitions, art in public spaces, workshops, lectures, urban exploration, guided tours, events, and so on.
The programme is formed as a result of several collaborations with Leuven-based partners from the cultural and heritage sector on the one hand, and the scientific and tourist field on the other. KU[N]ST Leuven is responsible for the overall coordination and communication of these events.
The projects upheld by KU[N]ST Leuven, are aimed at a broad audience of participants and visitors from Leuven, and the wider region of Flanders, Belgium, and further afield.
Expo 'Dieric Bouts. Creator of images' in M Leuven
20.10.2023 > 14.01.2024
Online tickets via www.diericboutsfestival.be
‘The fall of the damned’, Dieric Bouts, ca. 1450, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille © RMN-Grand Palais (PBA, Lille) / Stéphane Maréchalle | ‘Republic Attack Gunships on Geonosis’, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (2002), digital concept art, Ryan Church © Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Los Angeles