Anna Tummers is a

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

art historian Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Traditionally, the ...

curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

, and

researcher Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

, known for her work on

Dutch Golden Age painting Dutch Golden Age painting is the painting of the Dutch Golden Age, a period in Dutch history roughly spanning the 17th century, during and after the later part of the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) for Dutch independence. The new Dutch Republi ...

and

Flemish painting Flemish painting flourished from the early 15th century until the 17th century, gradually becoming distinct from the painting of the rest of the Low Countries, especially the modern Netherlands. In the early period, up to about 1520, the painti ...

, particularly those of the seventeenth century. She is a professor in Early Modern Art at

Ghent University Ghent University (, abbreviated as UGent) is a Public university, public research university located in Ghent, in the East Flanders province of Belgium. Located in Flanders, Ghent University is the second largest Belgian university, consisting o ...

Biography

Anna Tummers began her career as a research assistant at the Print Room, Windsor in

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

(1999–2000). She then served as an assistant curator at the

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art is an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was privately established in ...

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

(2000–2003). From 2003 to 2008, she was a lecturer and research associate at the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, ) is a public university, public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlan ...

. Tummers has explained that during her time in Windsor and Washington D.C. she started to take notes while researching, about seventeenth-century Dutch art theory, and that these notes lead her to explore the topic further, during her dissertation. On 1 November 2008, Tummers became the curator of old masters at the

Frans Hals Museum The Frans Hals Museum (formerly ''Stedelijk Museum van Haarlem'') is a museum in the North Holland city of Haarlem, the Netherlands, founded in 1862, known as the Art Museum of Haarlem. Its collection is based on the city's own rich collection, b ...

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English language, English) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the Provinces of the Nether ...

, succeeding

Pieter Biesboer Pieter Biesboer (1944 – 23 May 2025) was a Dutch art historian and prolific writer on 17th-century Dutch art. His specialty was art from Haarlem. Life and career Biesboer was a curator at Stedelijk Museum het Prinsenhof in Delft during the y ...

. She held this position until 2021, and left the museum world to dedicate herself to her interests in academia. Tummers is noted for her work in developing new methodologies in art authentication, combining traditional

connoisseurship A connoisseur (French traditional, pre-1835, spelling of , from Middle-French , then meaning 'to be acquainted with' or 'to know somebody/something') is a person who has a great deal of knowledge about the fine arts; who is a keen appreciator o ...

with modern scientific techniques. Tummers’s research often focuses on the ethical dimensions of art authentication, examining the profound impact that expert opinions can have on the cultural and economic value of artworks. Because of this, she has received significant grants, including a

European Research Council The European Research Council (ERC) is a public body for funding of scientific and technological research conducted within the European Union (EU). Established by the European Commission in 2007, the ERC is composed of an independent Scientific ...

grant to explore new methods of identifying art forgeries. Tummers's work in art historical research has been described by Myrthe Timmers as being different, "from traditional expertise by using the newest technical analysis methods and computer science."

Publications

* ''The Eye of the Connoisseur: Authenticating Paintings by Rembrandt and His Contemporaries'' (2011) * ''Frans Hals: Eye to Eye with Rembrandt, Rubens, and Titian'' (2013) * ''The Art of Laughter: Humour in the Dutch Golden Age'' (2018) * ''Art Market and Connoisseurship'' (2008) * ''First Woman to Become a Master Painter'' (2008) * ''Frans Hals or not Frans Hals: Connoisseurship, Technical Analyses and Digital Tools'' (2025)

Selected articles

* "Supplementing the Eye: The Technical Analysis of Frans Hals's Paintings – I", in:

Burlington Magazine ''The Burlington Magazine'' is a monthly publication that covers the fine and decorative arts of all periods. Established in 1903, it is the longest running art journal in the English language. It has been published by a charitable organisation si ...

161 (2019), pp. 934–941. * 'The New York Malle Babbe: Original, Studio Work, or Forgery?” In ''Frans Hals: Iconography – Technique – Reputation'', edited by Norbert E. Middelkoop and Rudi E.O. Ekkart, 130–54. Amsterdam University Press, 2024. https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.22135982.12.

Research and grants

Tummers heads and co-heads several research projects funded by the

Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research The Dutch Research Council (NWO, Dutch: Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek) is the national research council of the Netherlands. NWO funds thousands of top researchers at universities and institutes and steers the course o ...

. Her European Research Council-funded project has been particularly influential, advancing the field of forgery detection while shedding light on the historical art market and the evolution of artistic techniques, alongside others: * ''Frans Hals/Not Frans Hals'': A project investigating the criteria for attributing paintings to Frans Hals and exploring new methods in art authentication. * ''21st Century Connoisseurship'': A collaboration with Professor Robert Erdmann, focusing on developing advanced technical and digital tools for analyzing seventeenth-century paintings. * ''ArtDetect'': A project aimed at developing new ways to detect forgeries, supported by the Centre for Global Heritage and Development and the Scientific Advisory Board of IPERION HS.

Exhibitions

Tummers has curated and contributed to several exhibitions at the Frans Hals Museum, including: * ''Celebrating in the Golden Age'' * ''The Art of Laughter: Humour in the Dutch Golden Age'' * ''Frans Hals: Eye to Eye with Rembrandt, Rubens, and Titian'' (2013), celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Frans Hals Museum.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tummers, Anna Dutch art historians Dutch art curators Frans Hals Museum Academic staff of Ghent University Living people Year of birth missing (living people)