The Figge Art Museum has opened an exhibition of Northern European masterworks on loan from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., as part of a national initiative commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The exhibition, called The Golden Age: Featuring Northern European Artworks from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art, features 10 historical works dating from 1537 to 1700. The show includes paintings selected by the Figge from the national gallery's permanent collection, including artwork by celebrated artists like Lucas Cranach the Elder, Anthony van Dyck, Frans Hals and Louis Vallée. It opened last weekend and runs through April 4, 2027.
Figge Co-Senior Curator Vanessa Sage says many such works are rarely on display outside major museums in D.C., New York or Chicago.
"These are really considered masterworks," she said. "These are really storied names, and even during the time that they were painting, they were exceptionally well-regarded and influenced other artists that were working at the time ... They're really magical to see in person."
The Figge is one of just 10 small and mid-size museums selected for the gallery's "Across the Nation" initiative. The multi-year effort involves sending key pieces from its collection to institutions across the U.S. in celebration of the country’s upcoming semiquincentennial in 2026. Other participating museums include the Anchorage Museum in Alaska, which is showing works by Georgia O’Keeffe, Mark Rothko and Nancy Graves, and the Denver Art Museum, which is showing a Rembrandt self-portrait.
The National Gallery of Art is covering all associated costs for the "Across the Nation" exhibitions.
The initiative arrives amid shifting political priorities in Washington, D.C. Under new federal directives, agencies like the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian Institution have shuttered their diversity offices, redirecting focus toward programs tied to America250. The National Endowment for the Arts has also phased out a grant program for underserved communities and introduced new guidelines that encourage projects that commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
At the Figge, which is celebrating its own major milestone, the exhibition pairs the National Gallery of Art’s loans with selections from the museum’s own collection, including an avian still life by Adriaen van Utrecht. It's organized into four thematic sections in the museum's Katz Gallery: portraiture, history, still life and genre scenes.
"[The gallery] is finished in a very lush red color, with wallpaper that would have been stylistically similar to the period, and so we've made it a very special environment and atmosphere for people to come enjoy artwork that's truly special for us to bring here," Sage said.
Admission to the museum is free during July.
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The Figge Art Museum is a sponsor of Iowa Public Radio.
