1601 -1678 · Antwerp, Italy and family workshop

Flowered garlands, biblical stories and animated landscapes extend the family heritage for Jan Brueghel the Younger while revealing a broader, warm and narrative way.

Jan Brueghel the Younger was born in Antwerp in 1601, eldest son of Jan Brueghel the Elder and grandson of Pieter Bruegel the Elder. He learned very early in his father's workshop, where the observation of nature, the precision of drawing and the work shared between specialists constituted a real method. In 1624, he left for Italy and traveled in particular with Antoine van Dyck. The sudden death of his father in 1625 brought him back to Antwerp: while still young, he took over a considerable workshop, completed orders and responded to international demand for subjects made famous by Jan the Elder. This continuity is not a simple copy. Jan the Younger softens the touch, sometimes broadens the shapes, warms up the color and multiplies the variations of landscapes, paradises, allegories and religious scenes. Garland of flowers around the Holy Family in a landscape manifests the collaborative culture of the workshop, where botanical framing and sacred image unite. The Adoration of the Magi and Rest during the Flight into Egypt show his interest in crowds, costumes, animals and the way in which a biblical episode takes place in an abundant environment. In River Scene, Boats and Rest During the Flight into Egypt show his interest in crowds, costumes, animals and the way in which a biblical episode takes place in an abundant environment. In River Scene, Boats and Rest During the Flight into Egypt show his interest in crowds, costumes, animals and the way in which a biblical episode takes place in an abundant environment. In River Scene, Boats and Walkers organize a depth inherited from the Flemish landscape. Married to Anna Maria Janssens in 1626, he is the father of eleven children, five of whom become painters. He collaborates with many Antwerp artists, including Rubens and Hendrick van Balen, and for several decades ran an active family workshop. Died in Antwerp in 1678, he ensured the transition from elaborate language around 1600 to several generations of 17th century painters. The "Jan Brueghel the Younger" selection notably compares Garland of Flowers Around the Holy Family and The Adoration of the Magi. His reading favors light.

Jan Brueghel the Younger transforms the heritage into a living repertoire: he takes up a familiar world, then moves its light, rhythm and characters.