Music and Dance in Painting of the Dutch Golden Age at the Polk Museum of Art

Sat, Feb 8 - Sun, May 31  2020

About the exhibition: Music and Dance in Painting of the Dutch Golden Age

The Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College presents its unique “Music and Dance in Painting of the Dutch Golden Age” exhibition from Saturday, February 8 to May 31, 2020.

“Music and Dance” features 27 Old Master paintings rarely seen before by the public. Framed around the interdisciplinary themes of music and dance, the exhibition has been designed to engage audiences of diverse interests and to integrate the fine and performing arts. The exhibition will also immerse visitors into the culture, attire, instruments, and dance styles of the so-called “Golden Age,” from the viola de gamba and the cittern to the “egg dance.”

“The exhibition delves deeply into the art, history, and culture of the Netherlands in the 17th century, a period of great wealth and cultural achievement for the Dutch people,’” stated Executive Director and Chief Curator Dr. Alex Rich. “Visitors will have the opportunity to see for themselves how brilliantly the Old Masters were able to capture the spirit of the Golden Age in their paintings, revealing in vivid color the insatiable Dutch appetite for singing songs, forming ensembles, and moving to melodies.”

The exhibition is the museum’s second collaboration with the Hoogsteder Museum Foundation and presents a rare opportunity to display privately-held European paintings from three centuries ago. To be able to display these works goes to the heart of Polk Museum’s mission as an educational institution.

Admission to this exhibition is free. It will be available for viewing in the Museum’s Dorothy Jenkin’s Gallery and Gallery II on the first floor.

Pieter Angellis, Musicians in an Elegant Interior, 1685-1734, Oil on Canvas, Courtesy of the Hoogsteder Museum Foundation.

Williem van Herp, 1613/14-1677, Celebrating company in interior, Courtesy of the Hoogsteder Museum Foundation.

About the Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College

The Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida, is a not-for-profit academic fine art museum dedicated to enhancing lives through inspirational and engaging art experiences for all. It is the only Smithsonian Affiliate fine art museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums in Central Florida and serves 148,000 visitors yearly. Museum hours are Tuesdays–Saturdays 10 am to 5 pm and Sundays (except June 1 to Labor Day) 1 pm to 5 pm. It is closed to the public on Mondays and major holidays. The facility is handicapped accessible and special needs assistance is available. Admission is free, thanks to our strategic partners the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation, Share Foundation, and Southern Homes (Amy & Ed Laderer).