Hieronymus Bosch: The Devils That Still Haunt Us Five Hundred Years Later
Stop for a moment at Jeroen Boschplein and look up. An old church tower stands quietly among the rooftops of the city center. Nothing suggests that a man who conceived the wildest creatures in art history once walked these streets.
Flying fish, walking ears, monsters with egg-shaped bodies. This month marks the 510th anniversary of Hieronymus Bosch’s death, in the city where he lived and worked his entire life. His devils still haunt the place.
A painter who never left his city
Bosch was born around 1450 in 's-Hertogenbosch and died there in August 1516. He came from the Van Aken family of painters and grew up surrounded by brushes and paint pots. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he never left to seek fame elsewhere. He stayed, married Aleid van de Meervenne, and joined the Illustrious Brotherhood of Our Lady, the same distinguished society that still meets today at the Zwanenbroedershuis. Everything he painted, he conceived here, among the streets you can still walk down today.
Monsters, dreams, and a world no one could draw
While other painters of his time created images of virtuous saints and devout scenes, Bosch depicted a world full of imagination. In his work, sin, temptation, and redemption took the form of monsters, hybrid creatures, and scenes that you keep studying without ever fully understanding them. A contemporary once called him the most ingenious creator of fantastic, bizarre things. His best-known work, *The Garden of Earthly Delights*, is now on display in Madrid. Yet the place where it all began is still here, in Den Bosch.
His world comes to life at the Jheronimus Bosch Art Center
Bosch’s original paintings are scattered among museums all over the world. What you will find in Den Bosch, however, is the place that’s closer to the source than anywhere else: the Jheronimus Bosch Art Center, located in the centuries-old St. James’ Church, right near where Bosch himself lived. There you’ll discover life-size reproductions, background stories about his hidden symbolism, and exhibitions that each shed light on a different aspect of his world. For example, currently on view are “Pifostio,” an exhibition about art that goes round in circles without moving forward, and “Fantasma,” in the distinctive Jheronimus Tower. If you really want to wander through Bosch’s world of ideas, book a one-hour guided tour. A guide will take you through the details you’d easily miss on your own and explain what lies behind all those bizarre creatures.
Practical Information
The Jheronimus Bosch Art Center is located at Jeroen Boschplein 2, right in the heart of downtown. From April through October, it is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. In March, November, and December, hours are from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on Mondays. Adults pay 12 euros for admission, children ages 6 to 12 pay 5 euros, and children under 6 enter for free. Students and CJP cardholders also pay 5 euros. Guided tours must be booked in advance and cost 25 euros per guide in addition to the regular admission fee. For more information and to make a reservation, visit jheronimusbosch-artcenter.nl or call 073-612 68 90.
Walk from the square to the Markt, and you’ll be back in the present in no time. But keep those monsters in mind. Five hundred years after his death, Hieronymus Bosch still shapes how the world views this city. Discover for yourself why.