Pieter Coecke van Aelst

This international loan exhibition will explore the career and achievement of Pieter Coecke van Aelst (1502-1550). Coecke derails our expectations of a Renaissance artist by excelling in the applied arts before he became the most celebrated Netherlandish painter of his generation. His first and primary medium for artistic expression was the glamorous, monumental, textile format of tapestry, and from this vantage point, Coecke was able to rise to the apex of his profession. His tapestry series were acquired by the most exacting patrons, from Henry VIII and François Ier, to the Habsburgs and the Medici. But simultaneously, he also became the self-styled "painter to his Majesty, Charles V" by managing to dominate the panel paintings' market in the affluent and competitive Renaissance Southern Netherlands. This exhibition displays complete rooms of the splendid Renaissance tapestries that Coecke designed, superbly woven with brilliant silks, wools, and precious metal-wrapped threads, alongside Coecke's eloquent drawings, striking, colorful panel paintings, and fascinating prints recording his travels in Constantinople. Accompanied by a catalogue published by the Metropolitan Museum.