Henriëtte Mayer-van den Bergh (9 July 1838 – 27 March 1920) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

museum founder, known for commissioning the building and establishing

Museum Mayer van den Bergh Museum Mayer van den Bergh is a museum in Antwerp, Belgium, housing the collection of the art dealer and collector Fritz Mayer van den Bergh (1858-1901). The major works are from the Gothic and Renaissance period in the Netherlands and Belgiu ...

, which she curated until her death. She was the daughter of the

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

senator Jean Félix Van den Bergh who ran the “La Cloche” brewery with his brother Maximilien.Hotel Mayer-van den Bergh
in erfgoed Vlaanderen Henriette married the Cologne businessman Emil Mayer in 1857, who had moved to Antwerp to open a franchise for his family's pharmacy and spice business. The Mayer-Van den Berghs purchased the 'Hof van Arenberg' on the corner of Lange Gasthuisstraat and Arenbergstraat in 1861 and renovated it to suit their taste. They had two sons,

Fritz Fritz originated as a German nickname for Friedrich, or Frederick (''Der Alte Fritz'', and ''Stary Fryc'' were common nicknames for King Frederick II of Prussia and Frederick III, German Emperor) as well as for similar names including Fridolin an ...

and Oscar. After the death of her husband Emil in 1879, Henriette withdrew from society but turned to the study of art. Her oldest son Fritz broke off his studies to move back in with her and Oscar took over the family business. In 1887 Fritz took her name, and in 1888 both sons were granted noble titles.Henriëtte van den Bergh, Fritz’s mother
on museum website Fritz became thereafter known in the art world as 'Chev. Mayer-van den Bergh'.

Founding a museum

During the years her husband was alive, Henriette was probably already active as a collector, as the archives of her museum have provenance notes by her son Fritz indicating "Maman" for works purchased by her. After her son returned to live with her, he first spent time on his own numismatic collection and then turned his attention to cataloguing the family's art. In 1892, mother and son sold a large part of their collection, presumably to enable Fritz to make serious acquisitions with an eye for founding a museum. During the next nine years he became a dealer in his own right, making sales and purchases to augment his growing collection. After his untimely death, Henriette fulfilled his dream, hiring the architect Joseph Hertogs to build an adjacent building in Gothic style, and hiring advisors to help her oversee her son's estate, while securing his papers regarding the core collection that was destined for the museum. She curated the museum herself until she died, leaving a legacy that has survived to the present day.

References

Museum Mayer van den Bergh
in 'Openbaar Kunstbezit Vlaanderen' {{DEFAULTSORT:Bergh, Henriette Mayer van den 1838 births 1920 deaths Belgian philanthropists Belgian women Belgian art curators Museum founders