History, content and structure
In 1985 the collection of Fritz Grossmann (1902-1984) was donated to the Rubenianum. Grossmann was an authority on Bruegel and worked as Ludwig Burchard’s assistant. He devoted much of his professional life to his research on Pieter Bruegel the Elder. The results of this research are enshrined in this documentation, which is classified by theme and consists largely of notes, pictorial material and bibliographical references. In addition, the Rubenianum has in its care a number of books with annotations by Grossmann.
Research project
The Rubenianum collaborates with The Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium, in Brussels, in the work of producing inventories of this collection, promoting research on it, describing individual elements of it, and ensuring that it is preserved in good condition. This partnership is part of the project 'City and Society in the Netherlands, 1200-1800' (Stad en Maatschappij in de Nederlanden, 1200-1800) , within which the KMSKB team conducts research on Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
See also:
Hilde Cuvelier, ‘“Empathy and deep understanding”: Fritz Grossmann (1902-84) and his Bruegel Archive at the Rubenianum’, in L. Nijkamp, K. Bulckens and P. Valkeneers (eds.), Picturing Ludwig Burchard (1886-1960): a Rubens scholar in art-historiographical perspective, London 2015, pp. 133-149.
Consulting this source
The archival collection is completely inventoried and searchable in our archival database. The material can be consulted in our reading room after a request through our collection catalogue.