AMSTERDAM.- On 17 June 2025, His Royal Highness the King opened the exhibition: 'Artus Quellinus. Sculptor of Amsterdam' in the Royal Palace Amsterdam. From 18 June 2025 to 27 October 2025, the first overview exhibition of works by Artus Quellinus (1609- 1668) is open to visit in the Palace. For the celebrations of Amsterdam 750 years, the Royal Palace Amsterdam curated the exhibition in collaboration with the Rijksmuseum.


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Being the 'Sculptor of Amsterdam', this master decorated the inside and outside of the 17th century Town Hall (now the Royal Palace Amsterdam) with hundreds of impressive sculptures of gods and goddesses, narratives, symbols, animals and plants. Furthermore, an extensive collection of top works of the master will be displayed in the Palace. The works come from national and international museums, churches and private collections.

A bright observer

Artus Quellinus was the most important sculptor of his time in both Antwerp and the Dutch Republic. He became particularly famous because of his vast sculptural contribution to the current Palace at the Dam that was inaugurated as the new Amsterdam Town Hall in 1655.

Quellinus worked for fifteen years in a large studio at Keizersgracht and bore the title of 'Sculptor of Amsterdam' with pride.

His unequalled style is an amalgamation of the warm realism of the Rubens baroque of his birthplace Antwerp and the tranquillity and harmony of classical and contemporary Italian art he picked up in Rome. Quellinus was a bright observer and narrator whose works seduce, amaze and affect. That is proven not only by his sculptures for the former town hall, executed in marble and bronze, but also by his natural portrait busts, impressive statues of saints, skilfully modelled terracottas, and refined ivories.

Masterpieces that seldom or never travel

The exhibition unites more than a hundred artworks from national and international museums, churches and private collections. Small, intimate sculptures are presented alongside sizeable works. Among these are masterpieces that have been rarely or never displayed in Amsterdam. On this special occasion, the Amsterdam mayors immortalised by Quellinus, return to their 'city palace' for a brief period to welcome visitors to the Citizen's Hall. The more than life-size saint's figure of Saint Peter from the Antwerp St. Andrew's Church and the impressive fountain with Greek goddess Athens from Museum Kurhaus Kleve will also come to Amsterdam.

Quellinus drew inspiration from Antiquity. From the Louvre collection, for instance, the Zingarella will come, which is a famous statue that Quellinus saw in Rome at the time. In turn, Quellinus was an inspiration to famous contemporaries, such as can be seen in works by François du Quesnoy and Lucas Faydherbe, and by successful former assistants such as Rombout Verhulst, Artus II Quellinus, and Josse de Corte (also known as Giusto Le Court). The latter took his adaptation of Quellinus's style to Venice. All these works will be on display in Quellinus's ubiquitous sculpture in the Palace that is both the background and the main character of this exhibition.

Claudia Hörster, director Koninklijke Verzamelingen [Royal Collections]: This unique exhibition fulfils a long-cherished desire of both the Rijksmuseum and us. More than one hundred top works of the master of living marble will be presented in his magnum opus, the Royal Palace Amsterdam.

Collaboration between Royal Palace Amsterdam and Rijksmuseum

Both the Royal Palace Amsterdam and the Rijksmuseum had the strong desire to curate an overview exhibition of Artus Quellinus for years. Both Quellinus's magnum opus (the town hall sculptures in their original setting) and the largest collection of his standalone sculptures can be seen. Topical art historical and technical material research into Quellinus's life, work, and studio practices carried out by the Rijksmuseum form the scientific base of the exhibition and the accompanying publication.