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Arts feature

Why is Frans Hals still not considered the equal of Rembrandt?

Why is Frans Hals still not considered the equal of Rembrandt, asks Craig Raine

16 September 2023

9:00 AM

16 September 2023

9:00 AM

Who was Frans Hals? We know very little about him. He was baptised in either 1582 or 1583 in Antwerp. He died in 1666 at the age of 83 or 84. Approximately 220 works survive. One discredited narrative claimed Hals was a drunk – an inference probably based on his subject matter.

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