The Portraits of Máxima and Mathilde Represent Van Gogh and Magritte

With alacrity, Belgian’s Princess Mathilde and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands attended a reception at the Gemeentemuseum in the Hague on Tuesday. The princesses were dressed stylishly in similar houndstooth coats. At the event, the book “The Painting of the Low Countries” published by the Amsterdam University Press and featuring Dutch and Belgian paintings from the 1400s until 2000 was given to Máxima and Mathilde. In a clever manipulation of the original artists, two of the paintings representing part three of “The Painting of the Low Countries,” Romanticism until the present, were recreated in the images of the two princesses at the presentation. Princess Máxima’s portrait represented the self-portrait of Vincent Van Gogh titled “Self-Portrait with Felt Hat” and Princess Mathilde’s portrait represented the self-portrait of René Magritte titled “The Son of Man” with one unique twist; the apple was placed next to her face instead of obscuring it.

Photo: ANP