The paintings of Italian artist Antonio Mancini (1852-1930) were so modern that they astonished the Dutch public. From about 1883, Mancini – one of the most significant Italian painters of his time – incorporated materials such as shiny bits of glass and metal into the paint.
Hendrik Willem Mesdag (1831-1915), a painter and collector from The Hague, was quick to recognise Mancini’s talent. During the course of 20 years, Mesdag shipped some 150 works by Mancini to the Netherlands, which he subsequently exhibited and sold on.
This exhibition introduces you to the world of Mesdag and The Hague salons, to that of Mancini in his simple studio in Rome and to that of English and Irish high society, where Mancini painted portraits in imposing country houses.
Magnificent (self-)portraits and circus boys
The Mesdag Collection exhibits an overview of Mancini’s work, including Italian circus boys, magnificent portraits of his international patrons and several striking self-portraits.
Antonio Mancini, The Birthday, 1885
Catalogue
Would you like to discover more about the life and work of Antonio Mancini and the relationship he had with Hendrik Willem Mesdag? Read the catalogue Mesdag & Mancini and visit the exhibition!