Tavern Scenes

The Tavern Scenes exhibition at the Rijksmuseum dives enthusiastically into the heady world of the sixteenth and seventeenth-century pub.

Boozy inspiration
The hustle and bustle of the tavern and, of course, the accompanying raging drink binges and drunken altercations were cherished subjects for 16th and 17th-century artists. The prints and sketches showcased in the exhibition take the visitor on a canvas-based pub crawl, stopping off at the liveliest inns represented in the Rijksmuseum Prentenkabinet (print collection).

Painting the country red
Wealthy collectors paid enormous sums for Pieter Brueghel's artistic representations of country folk letting their hair down and his works were mass reproduced in print form, providing inspiration for generations of Dutch artists. The exhibition also features work by Adriaen Brouwer and Cornelis Dusart as well as Dutch masters including Rembrandt and Cornelis Bega, all individually respected for their authentic interpretations of pub life.

The Tavern Scenes exhibition runs from 1 December 2009 to 1 March at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.