Het Noordbrabants Museum is an art museum in
's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
History
The Provincial Society for Arts and Sciences
''Het Provinciaal Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen in Noord-Brabant'' (Provincial society for arts and sciences) was founded in 1836. Some of the founding members were the governor of North Brabant
Baron
Andreas van den Bogaerde van Terbrugge, whose portrait is in the hall of the museum, and Dr.
C.R. Hermans, president of the
Latin school of 's-Hertogenbosch. The society soon had over 250 members.
The purpose of the society was the promotion of arts and sciences. It organized events, contests for research, published books, and created facilities for research, i.e. a library. The province supported the society with 1,000 guilders, and the municipality of 's-Hertogenbosch provided some rooms for the library.
Library of the society
The first location of the library of the Provincial society for Arts and Sciences was on the first floor of the Latin School on the Papenhorst. The society would become famous for this library, which included many manuscripts, but also some collections of coins and curiosities. In 1855 the society moved to the upper floors of the new building of the school, which had been rebranded as city
Gymnasium (school)
''Gymnasium'' (and variations of the word) is a term in various European languages for a secondary school that prepares students for higher education at a university. It is comparable to the US English term '' preparatory high school''. Bef ...
. This provided suitable accommodation, not only for the library, but also for other work of the society. In 1868 the society was forced to move to new, but less suitable accommodations on the upper floor of the Butter hall on the market. It kind of limited the activities of the society on its own premises to the library function.
Establishment of the museum
In 1919 a
bequest
A bequest is property given by will. Historically, the term ''bequest'' was used for personal property given by will and ''deviser'' for real property. Today, the two words are used interchangeably.
The word ''bequeath'' is a verb form for the act ...
of 110,000 guilders, made by C.P.D. Pape gave the society the means to realize its ambition to create a real museum. It started to look for a building, and found the
Big Arsenal (Groot Tuighuis)
The Big Arsenal, in Dutch: , in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, is also known as Old St. James Church, or . It is the former location of the Noordbrabants Museum. It now houses the municipal heritage department and its storage. It is open to visito ...
, which had been left by the Dutch military after World War I.
The Big Arsenal was the former St James church that had been turned into a stable, an arsenal, and finally a barracks. For the arsenal function, multiple solid floors had been created inside, making it a perfect place for a museum with a large library. The authorities agreed to hand it over for a small lease of 200 guilders, provided that Oscar Leeuw, architect of Museum Kam in Nijmegen would change it to a suitable building. The contract was signed in 1924, and in 1925 the 'Centraal Noord Brabantsch Museum' was opened.
Shortly after the opening of the museum, a description was given of the modest beginnings of the museum: A central hall had been made in the
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
of the Big Arsenal. It was devoted to art work, mainly sculptures, that had been moved in from
St. John's Cathedral, other sculptures had been moved to the
Rijksmuseum
The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the St ...
. Behind the hall the choir housed the stately meeting room of the society, with the painting 'Samson and Delilah' by
Abraham van Diepenbeeck. Near the choir were stairs to the upper galleries. The galleries gave an overview of the provincial and city history, but the exhibits were of no special value. The same applied to the municipal painting collection, which also found a home in the new museum. The society was aware that the collection of artifacts was not impressive, but now it had space to expand the collections and to exhibit them.
Before World War II
![De_Bossche_Markt_Noord-Brabants_Museum_10964](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/De_Bossche_Markt_Noord-Brabants_Museum_10964.jpg)
The Centraal Noord Brabantsch Museum regularly hosted exhibitions. For those that were related to literature, archaeology, (local) history, or works by established painters, the society could count on its own volunteers. In 1927 e.g. the fifth national congress of librarians was held in the museum. That same year the exhibition 'Noord-Brabant' showed books,
etching
Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...
s and paintings related to, or made by people from Brabant. There were paintings by
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...
,
Pieter de Josselin de Jong
Pieter de Josselin de Jong (2 August 1861 – 2 June 1906) was a Dutch painter from North Brabant.
Life
Josselin de Jong was born in Sint-Oedenrode and was trained at the art academy in Den Bosch before attending the Royal Academy of Arts in Ant ...
,
Bernard van Vlijmen
Bernard van Vlijmen (23 October 1895 – 1 August 1977) was a Dutch painter. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1924 Summer Olympics.
References
1895 births
1977 deaths
20th-century Dutch paint ...
, Albert Verschuuren, Jan and Theo van Delft, Antoon Derkinderen,
Jan Sluyters
Johannes Carolus Bernardus (Jan) Sluijters, or Sluyters (17 December 1881 in 's-Hertogenbosch – 8 May 1957 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch painter and co-founder of the Moderne Kunstkring.
Sluijters (in English often spelled "Sluyters") was a leading ...
, Emanuel van der Ven, Jan Bogaerts, Herman Moerkerk, multiple members of the Slager family.
In matters of contemporary art the society was less skilled, but for a time it could keep up with what was expected in a town like 's-Hertogenbosch. Meanwhile, a group called 'Friends of the Society' (Vrienden van het Genootschap) started to buy modern art for the museum. The first work was a painting by Jan Sluyters bought in 1928. In 1929 a
still life by Jan Bogaerts was bought, and another painting was gifted by Bogaerts. Meanwhile, people from Waalwijk gifted a work by Theo van Delft. In 1930 'Het reconvalescentje' by
Frans Oerder was bought by the friends, and the artist gifted another work. In 1931 work by
Henriëtte Pessers was gifted by a committee from Geldrop and Eindhoven, and the friends gifted a portrait of
Jozef Israëls
Jozef Israëls (27 January 1824 – 12 August 1911) was a Dutch painter. He was a leading member of the group of landscape painters referred to as the Hague School and, during his lifetime, "the most respected Dutch artist of the second half o ...
by De Josselin de Jong. During the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
the growth of the collection slowed down.
After World War II
![Van_Gog_-_Bäuerin_beim_Umgraben1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Van_Gog_-_B%C3%A4uerin_beim_Umgraben1.jpeg/1200px-Van_Gog_-_B%C3%A4uerin_beim_Umgraben1.jpeg)
After World War II the usual business of the museum resumed. In 1947 it hosted the academy days of the
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences ( nl, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, abbreviated: KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed ...
. In 1949 it hosted an exposition about the poet
Guido Gezelle
Guido Pieter Theodorus Josephus Gezelle (1 May 1830 – 27 November 1899) was an influential writer and poet and a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium. He is famous for the use of the West Flemish dialect.
Life
Gezelle was born in Bruges in ...
, connected to the congress 'Art and Christianity'. The
visual arts
The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts al ...
got an exposition of the work of Herman Moerkerk in December 1949. Meanwhile, change was in the air. In 1949 North-Brabant and Limburg counted for 20% of the Dutch population, but got only 3% of the national subsidies for culture.
It was clearly an untenable situation. It was also clear that the position of the 'elitist' Society for Arts and Sciences, which had paid many bills, would suffer if other means became available. The
Van Abbemuseum
The Van Abbemuseum () is a museum of modern and contemporary art in central Eindhoven, Netherlands, on the east bank of the Dommel River. Established in 1936, the museum is named after its founder, Henri van Abbe, who loved modern art and wante ...
in Eindhoven was considered to be the only up to date museum in Noord Brabant.
In September 1967 a large exposition of
Hieronymus Bosch
Hieronymus Bosch (, ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch/ Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, generally oil on o ...
(c. 1450 – 1516) was held in the museum on account of the 450th anniversary of his passing. It was remarkable that it took place on the initiative of some local private persons. It was furthermore unique for Noord-Brabant to have such a major exposition. It kindled a desire to have a city museum dedicated to art exhibitions, just like the Van Abbemuseum. The society with its many cultural historical exhibitions and other activities was seen as 'occupying' that museum. In 1968 the
States of North Brabant therefore decided to separate the museum and the society. This did not happen, but a separate cultural council (Culturele Raad) was formed. In 1976 the provincial government then decided to force the society of the museum.
In 1980 the museum finally became a foundation separate from the society. Later in the 1980s the gouvernement building was designated as the new building for the Noordbrabants Museum.
The current museum
The current museum is dominated by a stately building with an eighteenth-century sandstone facade. It is known as the gouvernement, formerly the residence of the
king's commissioner, called Gouverneur in Dutch. The first design to make it suitable as a museum was by Wim Quist, known for work on other museums. Economic headwind made that an entire wing had to be omitted from the plan. Nevertheless, the museum got twice as much space than it had previously, and the building also was much more suitable as a museum.
In 2011 the museum was closed down for a second round of works. The museum got even more space and is now connected to the
Design Museum and the provincial offices (Griffie). The ensemble is known as 'Museumkwartier'. On 24 May 2013 the museum reopened.
Collection
Works from before 1925
The Noordbrabants Museum has ambitions to play a part on the national level. The permanent collection however, focuses on artifacts and artists with ties to the province. As regards the most famous North Brabant artists (Bosch, Van Gogh and the Brueghels), the museum was established too late to have a good collection of their work.
* Some works from the school of
Hieronymus Bosch
Hieronymus Bosch (, ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch/ Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, generally oil on o ...
, but not a single work by Bosch himself. The collection gives an impression of the work the city's most famous son.
* A handful of paintings and many etchings by
Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525–1530 – 1569), born in North Brabant,
Pieter Brueghel the Younger
Pieter Brueghel (also Bruegel or Breughel) the Younger (, ; ; between 23 May and 10 October 1564 – between March and May 1638) was a Flemish painter, known for numerous copies after his father Pieter Bruegel the Elder's work as well as h ...
, born in Brabant, and Jan (I) Brueghel.
* Multiple paintings by
David Teniers the Younger (born in Antwerp, Brabant), almost all on permanent loan from others.
* Early works by
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...
.
Early works by Van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...
was born in
Zundert
Zundert () is a municipality and town in the south of the Netherlands bordering Belgium, in the province of North Brabant.
Zundert is the birthplace of post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh.
History
The name of Zundert is first mentione ...
, North Brabant. For a provincial museum this could be reason enough to collect his work. A somewhat more relevant reason to focus on Van Gogh, is that from December 1883 until November 1885 Van Gogh worked in North Brabant. In
Nuenen
Nuenen () is a town in the municipality of Nuenen, Gerwen en Nederwetten in the Netherlands. From 1883 to 1885, Vincent van Gogh lived and worked in Nuenen. In 1944, the town was a battle scene during Operation Market Garden. The local dialect i ...
he worked on his
Peasant Character Studies. The museum owns some of these. In Nuenen he also made
The Potato Eaters
''The Potato Eaters'' ( nl, De Aardappeleters) is an oil painting by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh painted in April 1885 in Nuenen, Netherlands. It is in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The original oil sketch of the painting is at the Kröl ...
, which is owned by the
Van Gogh Museum
The Van Gogh Museum () is a Dutch art museum dedicated to the works of Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries in the Museum Square in Amsterdam South, close to the Stedelijk Museum, the Rijksmuseum, and the Concertgebouw. The museum opene ...
.
Apart from the Potato Eaters, these works are not the works that Van Gogh is most famous for. However, collecting the Nuenen works is in line with the focus and financial possibilities of the museum. A less obvious reason to want to have these works in North Brabant, is that many of the 'Nuenen' paintings depict objects that still exists in the North Brabant Landscape. The watermill at 't Coll is a fine example. It is open for visitors, and Van Gogh's painting of the mill is in the museum. Many other objects painted by Van Gogh can still be seen in Nuenen and surroundings. The
Watermill at Gennep is another example.
In January 2020, the museum bought 'head of a woman' (Dutch: Kop van een Vrouw) for 1.6 million Euro. It is probably a pre-study for The Potato Eaters.
By 2020, the museum's Van Gogh collection gives a good overview of the works that Vincent made in North Brabant. It consists of 13 works by Van Gogh. Five owned by the museum and eight others on permanent loan from other institutions. In March 2021 the museum wants to open the permanent exposition 'Van Gogh in Brabant'.
Works created after 1925
The museum has a good collection of works from artists who lived in 1925 or later. Here the focus is also on artists with ties to the province.
Curator
The curator is Charles de Mooij.
Exhibitions
Notable exhibitions held at the museum include, ''
Hieronymus Bosch - Visions of Genius''.
References
*
Notes
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Art museums and galleries in the Netherlands
Museums in 's-Hertogenbosch