About
Frans Hals’s internationally famous and enigmatic painting of The Laughing Cavalier is one of the Wallace Collection’s greatest treasures. The painting’s immediacy and remarkable vivacity are the hallmarks of Hals’s extraordinary work, qualities which led him to become a leading painter of his generation. As the painting embarks on its exceptional, first-ever loan to exhibitions in London and Amsterdam, we’ll look in depth at The Laughing Cavalier alongside a wide selection of Hals’s works, and the times in which he lived. Focusing on his long career in the Dutch Republic, we’ll discuss his innovative depictitsons of men, women and children, his use of extraordinary brushwork, expressive colour, and dramatic light effects. We’ll also learn why he inspired 19th-century avant-garde painters, including Manet and Van Gogh.
Book here, tickets: £55-£60