The festive, cultural, Bosch 500 year 2016 will start on the market square in ‘s-Hertogenbosch right outside his former studio. On 12 February 2016, the exhibition ‘Jheronimus Bosch – Visions of a genius’ will open at Het Noordbrabants Museum (12 February – 8 May 2016). The exhibit will be the highlight of a major, festive, international cultural event commemorating the 500th anniversary of the death of the genius Jheronimus Bosch in his city of birth. It will be a unique exhibition because never before have so many of Bosch’s works been on show together in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, but also because the results of the much talked about Bosch Research and Conservation Project will be presented. 500 days from now, inhabitants of and visitors to ‘s-Hertogenbosch will be able to marvel at Bosch’s characteristic panels and drawings of bizarre creatures, devilish dreams and magical monsters.

The locations in the city that remind us of Bosch provide an excellent starting point for telling his story, that of his work and the times he lived in. Examples include the family studio, his home, the Saint John’s Cathedral, the Binnendieze river and the Zwanenbroedershuis of the Illustre Brotherhood of Our Blessed Lady, of which he was a member. The most advanced virtualisation technologies have been used to create a sustainable, permanent exhibition concept in the shape of an appealing tour that enables visitors to experience Bosch’s city.

‘s-Hertogenbosch will not only be honouring its most famous artist with an exceptional exhibition. Stichting Jheronimus Bosch 500 has been working on an international cultural event for 2016 since 2010, the outline of which has now become clear. Bosch’s work, themes and era will – during 2016 – inspire unique music, dance, theatre and circus productions as well as form the point of departure for exhibitions of modern art, projects in public spaces, light shows, books, games and apps.

In 2016, Bosch will also be present in the city at night. A spectacular lightshow inspired by the master and his work will be presented on the market square where his entire oeuvre developed.

Alongside special Bosch programming at Het Noordbrabants Museum with, among other things, the presentation of Jan Fabre – Bosch in Congo (June-September) and an overview of Bosch’s graphics oeuvre (Autumn), the Stedelijk Museum ‘s-Hertogenbosch will put on three exhibitions inspired by Bosch’s themes: seduction, sin and judgement. The Fisch Pond Song Trilogy (February-May) by Jeroen Kooijmans, Nacho Carbonell & Fernando Sánchez Castillo (June-August) and Hell, Heaven (& Earth) Jheronimus Bosch revisited in the 21st century (September-December) with work by Jake & Dinos Chapman, Pippiloti Rist and Gabriel Lester. The Jheronimus Bosch Art Center will provide year-round exhibitions on coins from Bosch’s era, depictions of mothers and Marys, and insignia that reveal the guilds and how their history interrelates with that of ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

However, Het Noordbrabants Museum and the Stedelijk Museum ‘s-Hertogenbosch are not the only museums that will be paying attention to Jheronimus Bosch in 2016. As part of a unique collaboration, seven museums in the province of Brabant (Natuurmuseum Brabant, the TextielMuseum and De Pont in Tilburg, MOTI in Breda and the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven) have joined forces for the Bosch Grand Tour. All will put on exhibits. For instance, at MOTI the Garden of Earthly Delights will be reanimated whilst the Natuurmuseum Brabant will be organising the exhibition Jeroen Bosch’s Animals.

Stichting Jheronimus Bosch is preparing an extensive 2016 programme for all the family. In January, the Nederlandse Reisopera [Dutch Travelling Opera] and the South Netherlands Philharmonic will present the children’s opera Amahl en de nachtelijke bezoekers van Menotti [Amahl and Menotti’s night-time visitors] based on the Bosch’s work the Adoration of the Magi. In April, the same stage will host the children’s dance performance Bosch Danst [Bosch Dances]. Special children’s projects will also be programmed during the various festivals held in the city such as Festival Cement, Theaterfestival Boulevard and November Music. Children from around the Netherlands will be introduced to Jheronimus Bosch by the school musical Jeroen en de klagende kluizenaar [Jeroen and the whiny hermit] that is being developed by Albert Verlinde Entertainment.

Besides the above activities, the Bosch year will also generate countless other events and products. A number of books are set to be published including a children’s book, a graphic novel and a cookbook, and various apps are under development. Peter Greenaway is preparing to shoot a feature film that will premiere in 2016. Pieter van Huystee has been commissioned by the NTR to film a documentary on the Bosch Research & Conservation Project. The visual novel Cave! Cave! Deus Videt by We Are Muësli, the winners of the international Bosch Art Game contest, has proven a great success on the international game circuit.

Stichting Jheronimus Bosch 500 has finished the basic programme 500 days before the grand opening event on the market square in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Nevertheless, projects will definitely be added over the coming 500 days and some may not go ahead as planned. This website provides the current programme.

The foundation cooperates with a huge number of local, provincial, national and international partners to bring about the extensive programme for the Jheronimus Bosch 500 event and together they have programmed over 90 individual elements.