David Bailly - Time, Death and Vanity

The masterpiece raises all sorts of questions. Is it a self-portrait? What do the various objects in the painting refer to? And who is the mysterious female figure that appears against the back wall? In recent years, curators of Museum De Lakenhal have worked together with experts from Leiden University and the Rijksmuseum, among others. In this research they mapped Bailly's oeuvre for the first time, tracked down unknown portraits of him and discovered hidden faces under the layers of paint of his masterpiece.

Discover the answers to all these questions, and more, during the exhibition: David Bailly – Time, Death and Vanity. For example, let yourself be guided through the exhibition with our audio tour about the life and oeuvre of Bailly or a free tour by our art connoisseurs every Saturday and Sunday.

Would you like to learn even more about this special painter and his masterpiece? Then sign up for one or more lectures by our experts, in collaboration with Studium Generale. Or become a real Bailly connoisseur by exploring the exhibition with the Family Trail together with your family. Prefer to make art yourself? Then drop by the Open Atelier, where every Sunday you can mess around and color inspired by Bailly.