Which Impressionist masterpieces can be found in Dutch museums? Find out more about three absolute gems by Monet, Morissot and Pissarro.
When Impressionism was just emerging, you could buy the artworks for reasonable prices in Paris, and later, also at several galleries in the Netherlands. A handful of Dutch collectors caught on quickly and acquired exquisite artworks. Many of these works were donated or bequeathed to Dutch museums, but many more were sold abroad. A real shame, but thankfully plenty of fine works have remained in the country.
Claude Monet, La Corniche
In Monet’s time, La Corniche was little more than a dirt track, now it’s the main motorway between Nice and Monaco. A hiker rests, the high sun glistens on the water behind him, his shadow is small. Monet had to get used to rendering the light above the sea, and wrote that he needed ‘a palette of diamonds and gems’ to capture the brilliance of the azure water. The painting was gifted to the Rijksmuseum in 1900 by the Baron and Baroness Van Lynden-Pallandt, who acquired it in 1886. It therefore became the first Impressionist artwork in a public Dutch collection.
Claude Monet, La Corniche near Monaco, 1884, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, gift of M.C., Baroness van Lynden-van Pallandt, The Hague, 1900
The Baron and Baroness enjoyed spending spring on the French Riviera, and undoubtedly recognised the beauty of the landscape in this painting. And this was precisely Monet’s strategy: affluent people often spent time in this region, and Monet essentially painted holiday memories in the hope of finding wealthy buyers. And that Monet was still a totally unknown artist at the time didn’t matter a bit to the Baron and Baroness… Mission accomplished!
Berthe Morissot, Peonies
Many Impressionists enjoyed painting outside, on the outskirts of Paris or in the city’s parks, but also in their own gardens. This had an additional benefit for Morisot: while her daughter played in the garden, she had her hands free to paint. Of all of the Impressionists, Morisot used the loosest, most sketchy brushstrokes. In this painting, she plays with a sense of depth by brazenly positioning the rose bush at the top of her canvas, instead of ‘neatly’ in the middle.
Berthe Morisot, Peonies, c. 1885–1887, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, purchased with the support of the estate of Mrs N.C. van Riemsdijk-Borsje, the VriendenLoterij and made possible by a private donor in memory of Ger Luijten, 2023
Morisot was already an important Impressionist in her time: she exhibited at seven of the eight Impressionist Exhibitions. And yet it took another 149 years before a painting by Morisot was acquired for the Collectie Nederland (Museum Boijmans van Beuningen). Museums are only now realising that female artists are underrepresented in collections, and are trying to put things right.
Camille Pissarro, The hills of Auvers
In 1916, a group of eleven wealthy art enthusiasts from Rotterdam saw this painting at a sales exhibition organised by the Rotterdam Art Circle. It was part of a shipment of ‘contemporary French art’ from Paris. The group wanted to acquire an important Impressionist artwork for their city. They decided to join forces and to all put up some of the money. And that us how this painting came to be in the collection of Museum Boijmans van Beuningen.
Camille Pissarro, The Hills near Auvers, 1882, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, gift of Rotterdam friends of the arts
Next episode
Despite the efforts of art dealers like Theo van Gogh and affluent art lovers, the Netherlands was very late to the party when it came to acquiring and collecting Impressionist art. Several iconic paintings got away. How could this happen? We’ll explore this question in the final episode.