In 1993, Museum Kranenburgh staged its very first exhibition. The stately former mayor’s residence, dating from 1882, had been transformed into a museum, showcasing paintings and sculptures by prominent artists who lived and worked in Bergen between 1910 and 1940, putting the village on the map as an artists’ colony. This prompted Kranenburgh to revive this exhibition in 2018—25 years later—with a selection of the works on display at the time.
1993
Paintings, photographs, archive material
On April 29, 1993, Museum Kranenburgh officially opened its doors. Everyone was present: the mayor, countless Bergen residents, artists, and art lovers witnessed the opening of the very first exhibition of portraits, landscapes, and still lifes by the artists of the Bergen School. Many artworks were donated or bequeathed to Kranenburgh by artists, their families, friends, and admirers as plans for the new museum took shape. The Kranenburgh Museum Foundation also had a substantial collection of its own at the time of its opening, thanks to the Municipality of Bergen and the North Holland Art Centre Foundation. The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam granted Kranenburgh a substantial long-term loan. Now, 25 years later, the 1993 exhibition takes the public back to that very first year. Featuring an interesting selection of works exhibited at the time (this time exclusively from Kranenburgh’s own collection), as well as photographs and fascinating archival material.
Leo Gestel, Charley Toorop, Arnout Colnot
The works of the Bergen School form the core of the Kranenburgh collection and have become true crowd-pleasers over the years. The landscapes, portraits, and still lifes are expressive, often with a rugged touch and strong light-dark contrasts, typical of this generation of innovative artists, including Leo Gestel, Henri ten Holt, Arnout Colnot, Mommie Schwarz, Charley Toorop, and Dirk Filarski. Their fascination with nature in and around Bergen resonates intensely in their work, such as in Arnout Colnot’s “Het Oude Hof in de winter” (The Old Court in Winter) from 1916. The country estate has lost none of its beauty and continues to inspire painters, photographers, and poets to this day. The dark, earthy palette of Bergen’s painters lightens as they visit sunnier climes, as can be seen in the work “Spain” (1931) by the travel-loving Dirk Filarski.
Vibrant and Timeless
Natural and full of character are the portraits the artists painted of themselves, as well as of artist friends and children. Take, for example, the portrait Matthieu Wiegman painted of Kees Boendermaker, the artist and son of collector Piet Boendermaker, or the self-portraits of Henri ten Holt and Piet Wiegman. Intimate depictions of Bergen residents, captured in warm light and earthy colors. Bergen cherishes its history and keeps it vibrant. Since 1993, Museum Kranenburgh has celebrated the timeless value of its Bergen School collection, which gave the museum its raison d’être.
