Natasha Seaman

Art Review — 5 min read Installation view of Jan van Eyck, “Portret van Margareta van Eyck” (1439) in Bigger Picture: Connected worlds of Bruges 900-1550 at BRUSK (© Jan Darthet; all images courtesy BRUSK) BRUGES, Belgium — With its cobblestone streets, glossy green canals, and stepped gable townhouses, Bruges has the self-contained and unchanging quality of a scene in a snow globe.

During his lifetime, Johannes Vermeer was well regarded, though hardly famous. Unlike his compatriot Rembrandt, whose critical fortunes declined during his lifetime but never left the public consciousness, Vermeer simply disappeared until the mid-19th century. In the 1860s, French art historian Théophile Thoré plucked him from obscurity and nicknamed him the “Sphinx of Delft” for his enigmatic paintings and slim presence in the historical record.

Art Review — 6 min read Nicolaes Eliasz. Pickenoy, “Regents of the Spinhuis” (1628) (all photos Natasha Seaman/Hyperallergic) KASSEL, Germany, and UTRECHT, the Netherlands — As demonstrated by a small coda to the exhibition Rembrandt 1632: Creation of a Brand, Rembrandt is a name that sells. A case displays ads for Rembrandt-branded tobacco, boxes of toothpaste, and even a television (the name suggests a fair amount of drama but inconsistent picture clarity).