The 2 panels, painted around 1628, are an important addition to the public art collection of the Netherlands and to the collections of both museums. Frans Hals is internationally known for his portraits and genre pieces: images of ordinary people in their daily activities, whom you could still encounter on the streets today. It is precisely this kind of genre piece by Hals that has been scarcely found in the Collection of the Netherlands until now. The purchased portraits of 2 music-making children are particularly special because the boy and the girl may be his own son and daughter.

Eppo Bruins, Minister of Education, Culture and Science (OCW): ‘It is wonderful that these paintings by Frans Hals, which were once in the hands of a foreign private collector, are home again. They offer a glimpse into daily life in the 17th century and are a beautiful example of Hals characteristic loose brushwork. It is great that two museums, with support from the government and private donors, are joining forces so that this unique Dutch top art can soon be admired by everyone.’

Frans Hals (1583-1666) is one of the most famous and innovative Dutch painters of the 17th century. His dynamic brushstrokes and spontaneous compositions made his work unique and garnered much following. His style was appreciated in his own time and earned him many commissions for portraits, such as those of wealthy brewers and militia members in Haarlem. Additionally, he often portrayed ordinary people, a development that began in Haarlem and was later seen throughout Holland. Even in later times, his work had a significant influence on artists such as the Impressionists and Vincent van Gogh.

The Frans Hals Museum has the largest collection of paintings by Hals in the world, but until now had no genre pieces by his hand. With these 2 panels, this important part of Hals oeuvre will also find a place in the museum. The paintings will be on display at the Frans Hals Museum starting mid-July and will be part of the exhibition Hals-Rembrandt, which will take place there starting November 2026.

As a museum with 17th-century masterpieces, the work of Frans Hals is relatively underrepresented in the collection of the Mauritshuis. In mid-October, the paintings will be shown for the first time at the Mauritshuis in a presentation about the development of genre painting in the early 17th century. The children will be flanked by works from painters such as Willem Buytewech and the Flemish Adriaen Brouwer, who were active in Haarlem around the same time.

Violin Playing Boy and Singing Girl by Frans Hals were purchased with support from the Rembrandt Association, the Mondriaan Fund, the National Purchase Fund of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the Friends of the Frans Hals Museum, the Friends Lottery, and the Municipality of Haarlem.