There are few countries that can boast an art tradition as rich as the Netherlands. Who has not heard of the art of Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh? This 9-week study abroad opportunity will offer the study of Dutch art in cultural context, from early Netherlandish artists, such as Van Eyck, to the present day, including architecture, urban planning and design. The program will be based in Amsterdam, branch out to different cities in the country (The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Haarlem, among others), and end with a week in Belgium to study early Netherlandish and Flemish art in Antwerp, Brussels, Bruges and Ghent. We are recruiting students from a variety of disciplines and levels who wish to see the art and culture of the Netherlands come to life by experiencing it firsthand.
Lectures will be regularly held on the University of Amsterdam campus to provide training in both the content and methods of art history, but much of the learning and discovering will take place in the museums, along the canals, and in front of the monuments of Amsterdam and other cities of the Netherlands. Students will research and present topics based on their own interests. Guest lectures, bike tours, city walks, and research days will be scheduled during the week, leaving ample free time to explore. Using the rich traditions of Amsterdam and the Low Countries, this program will introduce participants to exciting modes of thinking about and looking at art, architecture, and Dutch culture.