Where the Sea is Light

Museum Kranenburgh tells the story of the artists’ village of Bergen. That story begins with the artists of the Bergen School. At the beginning of the 20th century, these pioneers found common ground in their desire for innovation and their need to depict the spirit of modern life. The village, the rich greenery, and the light of the sea exerted a magnetic attraction on the artists, prompting them to settle there, often permanently. In 1913, Herman Gorter described Bergen aan Zee as a place “where inspiration wells up from the sea.” A century later, in 2015, Adriaan van Dis also noted that Bergen is “a magnet I cannot escape.”

Generations

Commitment, a drive for innovation, and enchantment are not exclusive to the more or less defined period of the Bergen School; they are part of the DNA of the artists’ village and determine the spirit of the place. Museum Kranenburgh wants to preserve this spirit and keep it alive by drawing attention to the different generations of artists who find and found inspiration in Bergen and the surrounding nature, who feel a special connection with the village, or who naturally find a connection here with their inquiring minds. The exhibition Where the Sea is Light reflects the generations and the ways in which they each individually enrich the story of the artists’ village of Bergen.

History of mentality

The story of the artists’ village of Bergen is also a history of mentality. The exhibition shows how this has developed since the beginning of the 20th century. Based on two themes, people and landscape, the changes in the attitude and drive for innovation among artists are revealed. The artists of the Bergen School use the new, expressive idiom to capture what they perceive visually; 30 years later, an artist such as Edgar Fernhout captures the experience and essence of natural phenomena such as light and color. Contemporary artists, in turn, are searching for a new, meaningful language with which to express their social engagement and concern for the fate of the world.

The exhibition includes paintings, prints, photographs, and sculptures from the museum’s own collection, supplemented by loans from museums, institutions, and private individuals, totaling around 60 objects. These include works by Charley Toorop, Jan Sluijters, Leo Gestel, Lucebert, Edgar Fernhout, Claudy Jongstra, Sjoerd Buisman, and herman de vries.