This fall marks the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's historic journey from Holland to New York. In commemoration of this early settler's voyage, a number of spectacular New York exhibitions are celebrating Dutch art.

From Sept. 10 to Nov. 29, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is showing one of the most popular and well-known works by Dutch master Johannes Vermeer (1632—1675): "The Milkmaid." This special loan from the Rijksmuseum marks the first time that the painting has traveled to the United States since it was exhibited at the 1939 World's Fair. Five other Vermeers and other Dutch works from the Met's collection are also on view.

Contemporary Dutch art will bear its "soul" at the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art (HVCCA), in Peekskill, New York, with installation art on view from September 13, 2009 until July 26, 2010. Sixteen artists, some never shown before in the U.S., will exhibit the influence of Dutch architecture, sculpture, furniture and the country's unique landscape on their varied creations in "Double Dutch: Discovering New Frontiers in Dutch Contemporary Art."

The Museum of the City of New York opened "Dutch Seen: New York Rediscovered" on June 10th featuring the work of thirteen Dutch contemporary photographers, each of whom created a portrait of New York City in their own distinct way.

The current NY400 week, a series of events toasting Dutch influence on New York, also features new architecture. A highlight is the renewal of neglected Battery Park at the tip of Manhattan. The spot where Henry Hudson landed with Dutch settlers will get some new life with the New Amsterdam Pavilion funded by the Netherlands. Dutch Prince of Orange and Her Royal Highness Princess Maxima today dedicated the 5,000-square-foot public structure built to honor the early Dutch settlement in New York and its contribution to the city’s history.

For more Dutch art events, view the NY400 listings.