HOUSTON, TX.- The first-ever monographic exhibition of Dutch still-life painter Willem van Aelst (1627-1683) premieres at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, March 11–May 28, 2012. Co-organized by the MFAH, the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation, Elegance and Refinement: The Still-Life Paintings of Willem van Aelst features 28 of the artist’s finest works culled from private and public collections in the United States and Europe. Recognized as one of the leading painters in the Dutch Republic during the “Golden Age” of Dutch painting, he was largely forgotten by the 19th century. The exhibition aims to restore Van Aelst’s stature by showcasing his technical brilliance, attention to detail and ingenious brushwork for 21st-century audiences to discover. “Van Aelst’s luxuriant compositions, rich in detail, bring to life the elegant tabletop settings of the