For years, Portrait of a Woman by Leo Gestel (1881-1941) was only on display to a select few, but this summer, the masterpiece can be admired at Kranenburgh. The painting is a generous, multi-year loan from the NN Group corporate collection and is displayed alongside other works from Gestel’s experimental period, 1909-1913. Guest curator Caroline Roodenburg investigated the place Portrait of a Woman occupies within the oeuvre of the grandmaster of the Bergen School.
Het geheim van Gestel
With his great passion, Leo Gestel was an inspiration to his colleagues in Bergen and beyond. He painted Portrait of a Woman during a period when he was experimenting extensively and developing his own unique version of Cubism and Futurism.
Connection to Bergen
Although Gestel only settled in Bergen in 1921, his Portrait of a Woman is connected to the artists’ village. The painting comes from the collection of Bergen patron Piet Boendermaker, as confirmed by a self-described label on the back. The identity of the person portrayed remains a secret for now.
NN Group for art and culture
NN Group has built a corporate collection of over 1,500 works, including a unique series of glass art and artworks from the New Hague School. In addition to glass art, the collection includes paintings, photography, graphics, and installations. NN Group values the role of art and culture in society because art inspires and connects. The company wants to help make art accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds. NN Group invests in cultural collaboration projects by supporting exhibitions. Since 2017, the company has also awarded a contemporary art prize, the NN Group Art Award, and commissions art for its own collection.
Publication
The exhibition is accompanied by the book “In de voetsporen van Gestel,” featuring a contribution by Caroline Roodenburg about her research and a colorful Gestel walk through Bergen by Karin Evers.
Listen to the podcast
Want to hear more about the exhibition? Caspar Stalenhoef created a podcast about The Secret of Gestel, and spoke with Mariette Dölle (director of Kranenburgh), Marianne van Gils (curator of Kranenburgh), and Caroline Roodenburg (guest curator of this exhibition).
Het geheim van Gestel (met Caroline Roodenburg-Schadd)
Voor de 25e verjaardag van Museum Kranenburgh kreeg…
Curator
Caroline Roodenburg
Guest curator Caroline Roodenburg specializes in the period 1850-1970. She publishes on Dutch and international artists and has contributed to exhibition catalogs for institutions including the Singer Museum in Laren (Leo Gestel, 2015) and the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag. She is also an exhibition curator (including for Museum MORE, the exhibition Johan van Hell – Op klare toon) and lecturer.
