More than five centuries after his death, the incomparable art of Hieronymus Bosch is still replete with countless unresolved mysteries. By exhibiting almost ninety carefully selected works – including ten autograph paintings, almost half of the Netherlandish master’s entire painted oeuvre ¬– the museum intends to focus on the eternal human themes that Bosch explored with such originality in his art: the choice between virtue and sin, questions of faith and justice, the unleashing or restraint of desires, and the spirituality of human existence. The exhibition’s objective is to bring Bosch’s world to life and to conjure up the intellectual and visual culture of the late Middle Ages by exploring the period’s ideas about what it means to be human: the interpretation of life as a pilgrimage on Earth, filled with crossroads, sinful labyrinths, sensual digressions, but also the spiritual footholds that were available at the time.
Besides autograph paintings and drawings, the Budapest show will also feature works associated with the precursors of his art, as well as the most distinctive masterpieces from Bosch’s workshop and by his followers. The exhibition promises to be not only the largest presentation of the master’s works and art ever held in Central Europe, but also one of the most significant Bosch exhibitions organised in the international museum world in the last half century.

The exhibition is on view between 9 April and 17 July.

This exhibition of the Bartók Spring is jointly presented by Müpa Budapest and Museum of Fine Arts.