Frans Francken II: The Adoration of the Magi

Dates: 14 Nov 09 - 28 Feb 10
Categories: Old Master
Address: St Alban-Graben 16 Basel CH-4010
Tel: +41 (0)61 206 62 62 Website

This exhibition focuses on the newly restored Adoration of the Magi by Frans II Francken (1581-1642). The work, bequeathed to the museum in 2004, required restoration due to the risk of damage from nails used to secure the painting. This show heralds its return to the collection after the restoration work, where it sits alongside works from Francken’s Antwerp contemporaries to put the work in context. Although Francken created many altarpieces and panels, it is for his smaller cabinet works that he is most celebrated and this Adoration together with 12 lesser-known pieces loaned by private collectors exemplifies his characteristic attention to detail. According to curator Bodo Brinkmann, the Kunstmuseum’s curator of old master paintings, these lesser-known works are perfect examples of the work that gave Francken such a reputation as a “gifted story-teller”. A recently discovered panel by Francken is also included in the show. Belshazzar’s Feast, around 1610, has been loaned by the Hermann Beyeler Collection and according to Brinkmann the panel provides ample evidence as to why the “elite of connoisseurs and art collectors have never ceased to admire Francken’s work”

Adoration of the Magi