Exhibition Tour: Through the Eyes of an Artist: Pieter Coecke’s 1533 Journey to Istanbul

In 1533, Netherlandish artist Pieter Coecke van Aelst (1502–1550) traveled to Istanbul, presumably accompanying Habsburg ambassador Cornelis de Schepper on his first diplomatic mission. Twenty years later, Coecke’s widow, Mayken Verhulst, printed a monumental woodcut frieze by Coecke chronicling his journey to the Ottoman city. The Harvard Art Museum invites you to follow in Coecke’s footsteps and travel together with Talitha Maria G. Schepers, curator of the exhibition Imagine Me and You: Dutch and Flemish Encounters with the Islamic World, 1450–1750 (May 18–August 18, 2024), in a close examination of this monumental work.

Please check in with museum staff at the Visitor Services desk in the Calderwood Courtyard to request to join the tour. Talks are limited to 18 people and are available on a first-come, first-served basis; no registration is required.