Frans Hals

Frans Hals (1582-1666) was a Dutch painter who is one of the best known artists from the nation's Golden Age. Hals was born in Antwerp but spent his career in Haarlem, where we made a living painting portraits of prosperous local citizens, in addition to the occasional genre scene. The painterly quality of his works proved an inspiration for the French impressionists of the late 19th century, and Hals remains one of the most popular Old Masters, with a museum dedicated to his oeuvre in Haarlem.