1682 -1749 · Amsterdam and Dutch horticultural centers

Impossible bouquets, translucent fruits and tiny insects make Jan van Huysum the ultimate virtuoso of the great Dutch floral still life.

Jan van Huysum was born in Amsterdam in 1682 into a family of painters. He learned from his father Justus van Huysum, a specialist in still life, and developed a method based on patient observation, botanical drawing and very fine glazes. His first known dated work dates back to 1706. At a time when the floral tradition of the Golden Age was beginning to lose its importance, he renewed it with clearer, more monumental and more decorative compositions. At a time when the floral tradition of the Golden Age was beginning to lose its importance, he renewed it with clearer, more monumental and more decorative compositions. His bouquets cannot exist in reality: tulips, roses, peonies, daffodils and fruits from different seasons are brought together thanks to studies carried out throughout the year. Van Huysum goes to horticultural centers like Haarlem to observe rare species and jealously protect its workshop processes. The Grand Vase decorated with putti transforms the flower into a luxury spectacle. Marble, sculpted relief, plant waterfall and insects combine architecture and nature in a carefully calculated abundance. The Basket of Flowers with Two Butterflies instead focuses attention on the fragile balance of stems and wings. Fruits and flowers with inverted baskets instead focus attention on the fragile balance of stems and wings. Fruits and flowers with inverted baskets, on the contrary, focus attention on the fragile balance of stems and wings. Fruits and flowers with inverted baskets, on the contrary, focus opulence on the park landscape, while the Landscape with Nymphs around a tomb reminds us that Van Huysum also painted some Italianate views. His paintings reach prices extraordinary during his lifetime and seduced European collectors, from the Duke of Orléans to Robert Walpole. Each drop, crumpled petal or ripe fruit celebrates virtuosity, but also suggests that the painting survives what it represents. Died in Amsterdam in 1749, Van Huysum brilliantly concludes more than a century of Dutch innovation in flower painting. Died in Amsterdam in 1749, Van Huysum brilliantly concludes more than a century of Dutch innovation in flower painting. The "Jan van Huysum" selection notably compares Grand Vase decorated with putti and filled with flowers and Basket of flowers with two butterflies. His reading favors the story.

Van Huysum deals with the entire calendar: he brings together the seasons, suspends the withering and transforms the fragility of a bouquet into a lasting monument.