active from 1422 -1441 · The Hague, Lille and Bruges

Transparent glazes, microscopic light and silent presence make Jan van Eyck one of the founders of European pictorial realism in the 15th century.

The origins of Jan van Eyck remain partially obscure. He probably comes from Maaseik and appears in documents in 1422 in the service of John of Bavaria in The Hague. After the death of this prince, in 1425 he entered the service of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, as painter and valet. This position brought him orders, diplomatic trips and proximity to one of the most refined courts in Europe. In 1428, he went to Portugal to prepare for the Duke's marriage to Isabella of Portugal and paint his portrait. Van Eyck did not invent orders, diplomatic trips and proximity to one of the most refined courts in Europe. In 1428, he went to Portugal to prepare for the Duke's marriage to Isabella of Portugal and paint his portrait. Van Eyck did not invent orders, diplomatic trips and proximity to one of the most refined courts in Europe. In 1428, he went to Portugal to prepare for the Duke's marriage to Isabella of Portugal and paint his portrait. Van Eyck did not invent oil painting, contrary to ancient legend. However, he pushed the possibilities to a new level by superimposing transparent layers that give fabrics, metals, skin and light exceptional depth. The Arnolfini Spouses place two people in a room in which each object seems tangible; mirror, candlestick, fruit and signature participate in an image whose exact meaning continues to be discussed. The Virgin of Chancellor Rolin unites sponsor and sacred in a loggia opening onto an immense city. The Virgin of Chancellor Rolin unites sponsor and sacred in a loggia opening onto an immense city. The Virgin of Canon Van der Paele transforms the church into a meeting space between portrait, material and vision. The Virgin of Canon Van der Paele transforms the church into a meeting space between portrait, material and vision. The Virgin of Canon Van der Paele transforms the church into a meeting space between portrait, material and vision. The Virgin of Canon Van der Paele transforms the church into a meeting space between portrait, material and vision. The Virgin of Canon Van der Paele transforms the church into a meeting space between portrait, material and vision. The altarpiece of the Mystic Lamb, begun according to its inscription by his brother Hubert and completed by Jan, deploys theology, landscape, music and humanity on a monumental ensemble inaugurated in Ghent in 1432. A portraitist, Van Eyck also captures the gaze, age and status with radical sobriety. His mottos and inscriptions play with the border between real object and painting. Died in Bruges in 1441, he left few certain works, but his language lastingly transformed the painting of the Netherlands, Italy and all of Europe. The "Jan van Eyck" selection notably compares The Arnolfini Spouses and The Virgin of Chancellor Rolin. His reading favors light.

Van Eyck does not simply copy the visible: he constructs a light where the material world, the portrait and the sacred also become present.