Van Dyck Travels to Genoa: A Masterpiece on Loan from the Gaudium Magnum Collection

The Gaudium Magnum Foundation – Maria and João Cortez de Lobão is delighted to announce the loan of an important painting by Sir Anthony van Dyck (Antwerp, 1599 – London,1641) to the international exhibition Van Dyck the European: The Journey of a Genius from Antwerp to Genoa and London, opening at the Palazzo Ducale in Genoa from 20 March to 19 July 2026.

Curated by Anna Orlando and Katlijne Van der Stighelen, the exhibition presents Van Dyck (1599–1641) as one of the great masters of European painting, highlighting his exceptional ability to adapt his art to different cultural contexts — from Antwerp to Genoa and later London. Special emphasis is placed on his Italian period, when his encounter with Genoese society played a decisive role in shaping the refined portrait style that would secure his international success.

The Foundation will loan Family Portrait of the Painter Cornelis de Vos and His Wife Suzanna Cock with Their Two Eldest Children, Magdalena and Jan-Baptist, a compelling example of Van Dyck’s sensitivity in portraying family, intimacy, and social identity. The work will feature within a thematic journey that explores subjects such as family, power, and social life in seventeenth-century Europe.

Bringing together around forty key works by Van Dyck alongside paintings, drawings, and artefacts from major European collections, the exhibition unfolds across the Doge’s Apartment of the Palazzo Ducale. Many of the artist’s Genoese masterpieces will return to the city where his artistic identity took shape.