There are exhibitions that we would regret missing... for art lovers, the one dedicated to Frans Hals, which will be held from February 16 to June 9 at the Rijksmuseum, is certainly one of them.
Promising to be exceptional in many respects, it will bring together for the first time in the Dutch capital around fifty works by the artist, often considered the father of impressionism.
Accompanied by a specialist guide from the Netherlands, you will have the pleasure of discovering this historic exhibition and delving into the atypical world of an artist with unparalleled sensitivity.
You will also have the opportunity to discover Haarlem, the city where Frans Hals grew and flourished, as well as visiting Rotterdam and its incredible Boijmans Van Beuningen Depot museum.
All while staying in one of the best addresses in Amsterdam, the luxurious Pestana Riverside Hotel.
Program
Day 1
Tuesday May 14, 2024
PARIS • AMSTERDAM
Meet at Paris-Gare du Nord with your
Figaro
guide .
8:25 a.m.:
Departure by Eurostar to Amsterdam.
11:26 a.m.:
Arrival at Schiphol station.
Figaro Privilege: On your arrival, you will meet your tour guide Faustina Alonso de Florida, expert on the Netherlands and the Dutch Golden Age.
You will reach Amsterdam by bus.
The opportunity to discover the typical landscapes of the Netherlands: the small red brick houses, the famous mills, the vast expanses of marshes...
Lunch at the restaurant.
Figaro Privilege: In the afternoon, you will visit the Frans Hals exhibition at the Rijksmuseum.
Organized in collaboration with the National Gallery of Art in London, the Frans-Hals Museum in Haarlem and the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, this exhibition is the first entirely devoted to Frans Hals, one of the most innovative painters of the 17th century.
It offers an exceptional selection of the artist's most beautiful paintings, including the Banquet of the officers of the civic guard of Saint-Georges, The Regents of the old people's hospice of Haarlem (Frans-Hals Museum), the Portrait of Lucas de Clercq, the Portrait of Feyntje van Steenkiste (Rijksmuseum) and The Laughing Young Boy (Mauritshuis)...
Born in Antwerp between 1582 and 1584, Frans Hals grew up in Haarlem after his parents fled the Spanish invasion.
In this city, he met the artist Karel van Mander.
It was the latter who, throughout Hals' youth, trained him in different painting techniques and helped him refine his talent.
In 1610, the young painter joined the Haarlem painters' guild and took on Judith Leyster as an apprentice.
Throughout his life, Frans Hals worked to perfect his style, defined as “full of life” by his admirers and as “raw and ready-made” by his detractors.
Joyful musicians, portraits of regents, laughing children… the touch of Frans Hals is as expressive as it is realistic.
His brushwork earned him the reputation of a precursor of impressionism.
The Rijksmuseum exhibition will allow you to follow the painter's evolution, as his experiences give his works freedom and maturity.
In painting after painting, you will see him break with conventions and embark on a unique path, in many ways inimitable.
The realism of its themes also provides insight into the life of the Dutch lower middle class, as well as the values and norms of the time.
You will continue with a visit to the museum's permanent collections which house more than 8,000 works of art from Dutch and European history, including masterpieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh.
At the end of the afternoon, departure by private boat for a canal cruise to your hotel.
You will be able to discover Amsterdam from a unique point of view, that of its famous canals.
Dinner and overnight at the Pestana Riverside Hotel, a splendid 5-star establishment housed in two spectacular neo-Renaissance buildings, which formerly housed the town hall and archives.
St. Lawrence Church - Rotterdam vladimirzhoga - stock.adobe.com
Day 2 Wednesday May 15, 2024
AMSTERDAM • HAARLEM • AMSTERDAM
In the morning, you will meet your local guide for a city tour of Haarlem.
Discover a picturesque town, distinguished by its traditional hofjes, small courtyards surrounded by low houses.
You will begin with a visit to the Frans Hals Museum, installed in a former hospice, where the painter would have ended his days.
The works exhibited will be a pleasant echo of the exhibition the day before.
The opportunity to enter in an even more intimate way into the artist's world.
You will continue via the Grote of Sint-Bavokerk.
Built in the 13th century, Haarlem Cathedral is a formidable Gothic-style monument with a richly sculpted facade.
It is between its walls decorated with fantastic stained glass windows and its imposing columns that Frans Hals and Willem Bilderdijk rest, among others.
Lunch at the restaurant.
At the beginning of the afternoon, you will visit the Teyler Museum.
Inaugurated in 1784, it is one of the oldest museums in the Netherlands.
It highlights an interesting collection of scientific works and objects collected over the years by the Teyler family, wealthy merchants from Haarlem.
There you can observe, among other things, fossils, fascinating engravings and romantic paintings.
Return to Amsterdam at the end of the afternoon.
You can take advantage of the few hours of free time before dinner to stroll the streets of the capital or to take advantage of the exceptional facilities of your hotel.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Haarlem Jbyard - stock.adobe.com
Day 3 Thursday May 16, 2024
AMSTERDAM • ROTTERDAM • PARIS
In the morning, you will take the road towards Rotterdam.
Figaro Privilege: Accompanied by your guide, you will visit the Boijmans Van Beuningen Depot Museum. This atypical building, built above ground to protect the collection from flooding, houses more than 151,000 works covering seven centuries of art history. Inside, six floors allow visitors to travel through the centuries and admire the evolution of Dutch artists from the 15th century to the present day. Another particularity of the museum: the emphasis on behind-the-scenes storage and maintenance of the works. Throughout your visit, large bay windows will give you a fascinating overview of the conservation spaces. At certain times, you can even go to the other side of the glass and wander around the space as you wish. The opportunity to contemplate the works which are presented, not in chronological order but according to their conservation needs (format, temperature, etc.).
Lunch at the restaurant.
In the afternoon, Faustina, your guide, will accompany you on a panoramic tour of the city.
You will notably visit the “cube houses”, real open-air works of art that invite visitors to re-evaluate their perception of space.
It was Piet Blom, a Dutch architect, who was behind this audacious project.
More than simple buildings with odd shapes, cubic houses or “leaning houses” embody an avant-garde vision of town planning, a utopian reading of the concept in which private and public space harmonize to form a complex that is both aesthetic and functional.
You will continue with a visit to the Saint-Laurent church.
In Gothic style, this monument, built in 1646, houses a superb organ case from the 16th century, as well as three tombs where famous admirals rest.
You will enjoy admiring the richly sculpted facade decorated with large windows.
On the square in front of the church, a statue of Erasmus, the work of Hendrick de Keyser (1621), pays homage to the famous humanist native of Rotterdam.
Transfer to Rotterdam train station late in the afternoon.
5:58 p.m.: Departure by Eurostar, bound for Paris.
8:35 p.m.: Arrival at Paris Gare du Nord.
The Boijmans Van Beuningen depot museum Adobestock.com
The price includes
Eurostar Paris/Schiphol and Rotterdam/Paris train journeys in 1st class comfort
Taxes and local services
Transportation and transfers by air-conditioned coach
Accommodation in a deluxe double room in the mentioned hotel
Full board from lunch on day 1 to lunch on day 3
Drinks at lunches and dinners 1 glass of wine or glass of beer, water, coffee or tea
Tipping: guides/drivers/hotels
Visits/excursions/entrances, according to the program
Local guides
A travel diary
Mutuaide Assistance health, accident, repatriation and baggage insurance
A Figaro accompaniment