For centuries, Maastricht has been a leading place of pilgrimage, whose Pilgrimage of the Relics, held every seven years, attracts over a hundred and fifty thousand visitors. The veneration of Saint Servatius, the sacred treasures of the Basilica of St. Servatius and the Basilica of Our Lady, and the four extraordinary devotions of Maastricht give the city a unique role in an ancient tradition of pilgrimage. Pilgrimage to Maastricht brings the city’s rich religious history to life with stor...

Artist Antonio López (b. 1936) is a true phenomenon in Spain, the country of his birth, where he is hailed as the ‘greatest living realist artist’. His work is diverse. The Master of Spanish Realism not only chooses a whole range of subjects for his paintings, drawings and sculptures, he also uses a range of materials.

López’s artistic practice is characterised by an extremely detailed procedure. To him, the painting process is a way of exploring the world. López manages to flawlessl...

Can parents ever overcome the loss of their children? Theirs was a happy family: Jaap and Ellen van den Bergh and their two daughters, Rosemarie and Marianne. Then the German army invaded the Netherlands in May 1940 and everything changed. The family was of Jewish descent and they were no longer sure of their lives. By selling a serene painting by Pissarro, The Girl Lying in the Grass, they funded the expenses of their hiding place. Jaap and Ellen van den Bergh survived the war. For a long ti...