Have you ever visited a museum only to see a painting or sculpture that looked very familiar already, and wondered why? Or pondered how many times an artist labored over their creation before getting it “right”? In a small selection of works on display in the AMAM’s Education hallway, we explore these questions through familiar objects from our permanent collection by five different artists.
Historically, artists created self-portraits not only to display their prowess at capturing likenesses, but also to promote themselves and their work. Michiel Sweerts created this print after making the painting now hanging in our Willard-Newell Gallery. Both works show Sweerts with the tools of his trade (a palette, paint, and brush), which was traditional in Netherlandish art. Sweerts also created portrait prints like this to be used as teaching aids at his academy of drawing.
Michiel Sweerts (Flemish, 1618–1664)
Self-Portrait, ca. 1656–58
Etching
Gift of M. Knoedler and Co.
