The Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Mauritshuis in The Hague are simultaneously exchanging twenty-five outstanding works from their permanent collections thanks to a collaboration agreement between the two institutions. In Madrid, an exceptional collection of 17th century Dutch masterpieces is on display, including Johannes Vermeer's View of Delft (ca. 1660-1661), brought together in the classical rooms, a new exhibition space in the museum, close to the rooms dedicated to this same school, thus offering a more complete view of that extraordinary and fruitful century.
The Thyssen-Bornemisza family's ties to the Netherlands date back to the early 20th century, when Heinrich (1875–1947) settled in The Hague after the Hungarian Revolution of 1919. It was in this city that Hans Heinrich was born and spent his childhood. In addition to the financial ties and business platform created there, he developed a passion for Dutch painting, one of the most brilliant chapters in his collecting career, which was started by Heinrich and continued by his son Hans Heinrich, who focused his early acquisitions in the 1950s on the Dutch masters of the 17th century.