What was the society in which Jan van Eyck and his direct predecessors produced their work really like? What was new in the Burgundy empire, how was the church and society developing and what role did the arts play in it? In this video, Herman Pleij, emeritus professor of historical Dutch Literature, places the developments shown in the exhibition The Road to Van Eyck in a broader social context.

This video was made on the occasion of the exhibition The Road to Van Eyck, on view at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen from October 13, 2012 until February 10, 2013.

Camera and edit: Hans Wessels; interview: Sjarel Ex; chief editor: Els Hoek