Dieric Bouts: Creator Of Images

Exhibition at the M, Leuven, 20 October 2023 - 14 January 2024

Dieric Bouts (c. 1410-1475), one of the most important Flemish Masters, can be considered the equal of Jan Van Eyck or Rogier Van der Weyden. The artist spent most of his life in Leuven, where he painted his most beautiful panels, scenes of great richness, powerful portraits and landscapes with a supernatural atmosphere.

A master of composition, technical precision and spiritual message, Bouts was also, as this book suggests, a shrewd commercial artist who managed to secure major commissions and expertly convey religious devotion.

This exhibition catalogue offers a radical and unconventional new examination of one of the most important Flemish masters: it presents Bouts as an image-maker and considers his work alongside that of today's film-makers, game designers and sports photographers. Enriched with new insights based on the latest research, this volume explores how Bouts' career was influenced by the cultural and political environment of his native Leuven. Filled with reproductions and photographs of Bouts' most important paintings and altarpieces, it examines several in depth, including The Last Supper, The Triptych of the Descent from the Cross, The Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus with Saints Jerome and Bernard, and Christ Crowned with Thorns.