For the 2022 edition of Frieze Masters, De Jonckheere has compiled an original selection of paintings inspired by the works of Hieronymus Bosch. Every detail in this genius’ body of work reflects a message associated with vanity and human errancy, offering a unique view of humanity.

Through five works attributed to his entourage, comprised of pupils and emulators, we shall delve into this theatre of shadows. The monsters that populate his world are there to signify evil and have always inhabited Christian art. Bosch, however, having adopted the lessons of the Flemish Primitives, used original pictorial tools to confront us with our greatest fears, albeit with a touch of humour. Never before had an artist painted the dark side of the human soul with such veracity, and with so much body and detail.

And yet, the recipe for his success is simple: Bosch and his followers gave shape to our nightmares through elements observed in nature. In these works painted by Bosch’s epigones, we are witness to a multitude of hallmarks of a seemingly fantastical art that continues to inspire artists today, well after the Surrealists.