Hals, Frans b. 1580 d. August 29, 1666 Artist. Considered the most important Dutch portraitist of the seventeenth-century, his work influenced Edouard Manet and Vincent van Gogh. His surviving body of work includes about 300 paintings, mostly portraits and group portraits. (Bio by: MC) Saint Bavo Church, Haarlem, Haarlem Municipality, Noord-Holland, Netherlands