 Museum entrance in 2006 | |
  Noordbrabants Museum Location within North Brabant | |
| Location | Verwersstraat 41 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°41′11″N5°18′17″E / 51.6864°N 5.3047°E |
| Type | Art museum |
| Visitors | 510,000 (2016) [1] |
| Curator | Charles de Mooij [2] |
| Website | hetnoordbrabantsmuseum.nl |
Het Noordbrabants Museum is an art museum in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
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 [3] Baron Andreas van den Bogaerde van Terbrugge, whose portrait is in the hall of the museum, and C.R. Hermans, president of the Latin school of 's-Hertogenbosch. The society soon had over 250 members. [3] 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.
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. [4] 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). This provided suitable accommodation, not only for the library, but also for other work of the society. [5] 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. [6] It kind of limited the activities of the society on its own premises to the library function.
In 1919 a bequest 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), which had been left by the Dutch military after World War I. [7]
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. [8] 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 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. 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. [9]
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. [10] That same year the exhibition 'Noord-Brabant' showed books, etchings and paintings related to, or made by people from Brabant. There were paintings by Vincent van Gogh, Pieter de Josselin de Jong, Bernard van Vlijmen, Albert Verschuuren, Jan and Theo van Delft, Antoon Derkinderen, Jan Sluyters, Emanuel van der Ven, Jan Bogaerts, Herman Moerkerk, multiple members of the Slager family. [11]
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. [12] Meanwhile, people from Waalwijk gifted a work by Theo van Delft. [13] In 1930 'Het reconvalescentje' by Frans Oerder was bought by the friends, and the artist gifted another work. [14] In 1931 work by Henriëtte Pessers was gifted by a committee from Geldrop and Eindhoven, and the friends gifted a portrait of Jozef Israëls by De Josselin de Jong. During the Great Depression the growth of the collection slowed down. [15]
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. [16] In 1949 it hosted an exposition about the poet Guido Gezelle, connected to the congress 'Art and Christianity'. [17] The visual arts got an exposition of the work of Herman Moerkerk in December 1949. [18] 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. [19] 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 in Eindhoven was considered to be the only up to date museum in Noord Brabant. [19]
In September 1967 a large exposition of Hieronymus Bosch (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. [20] 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. [21] 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. [22] 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. [23]
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. [23] 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.
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.
Vincent van Gogh was born in Zundert, 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 he worked on his Peasant Character Studies. The museum owns some of these. In Nuenen he also made The Potato Eaters, which is owned by the Van Gogh Museum.
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. [24]
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'. [24]
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.
The curator is Charles de Mooij. [2]
Notable exhibitions held at the museum include, Hieronymus Bosch - Visions of Genius .
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, a battle was fought there during Operation Market Garden. The local dialect is called Peellands. In 2009, Nuenen had a population of 22,437.
Johannes Carolus Bernardus (Jan) Sluijters, or Sluyters was a Dutch painter and co-founder of the Moderne Kunstkring.
The Design Museum Den Bosch is a museum in 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands. It focuses the applied arts, in particular ceramics and jewellery. It is next door to the Noordbrabants Museum, which shows visual arts such as painting. In 2023, plans to move the museum to a new location outside the centre of Den Bosch were announced.
Brabants Dagblad is a daily Dutch newspaper. It is distributed in the center and northeast of North Brabant, in 's-Hertogenbosch and Tilburg and their surrounding regions. The paper's office is in 's-Hertogenbosch.
Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church at Nuenen is an early painting by Vincent van Gogh, made in early 1884 and modified in late 1885. It is displayed at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
Concert in the Egg is a painting formerly considered to be a copy of a lost work by Hieronymus Bosch, and which is currently considered to be based on one of his drawings. Max Jakob Friedländer called it 'an old copy', without specifying another work it was copied from.
Water Mill at Gennep is the subject and title of three oil paintings and a watercolor created in 1884 by Vincent van Gogh. The Watermill at Gennep is situated in Gennep, today a neighbourhood of Eindhoven.
Water Mill at Kollen Near Nuenen is an oil painting of the Watermill at Kollen, created on 28-29 May 1884 by Vincent van Gogh during the period when he was living at Nuenen nearby. It measures 60.5 by 80 centimetres.
The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen, alternatively named The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring or Spring Garden, is an early oil painting by 19th-century Dutch post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh, created in May 1884 while he was living with his parents in Nuenen. Van Gogh made several drawings and oil paintings of the surrounding gardens and the garden façade of the parsonage.
The following is a timeline of the history of the municipality of 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
Jheronimus Bosch—Visions of Genius was a 2016 art exhibition at the Noordbrabants Museum in 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, about the work of Hieronymus Bosch, a native of 's-Hertogenbosch.
The Jheronimus Bosch Art Center is located in the former New St. James Church on Jeroen Boschplein in 's-Hertogenbosch, the capital of North Brabant. Since 2007, there has been a permanent retrospective exhibition here on the life and work of the painter Jheronimus Bosch, who was born in the town. The venue is also used for concerts and conferences.
Bokhoven Castle was a big defendable castle in Bokhoven, the Netherlands. A moat and part of the northern wall of the outer bailey are all that reminds of the castle.
The Big Arsenal, in Dutch: Groot Tuighuis, in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, is also known as Old St. James Church, or Oude Sint Jacobskerk. It is the former location of the Noordbrabants Museum. It now houses the municipal heritage department and its storage. It is open to visitors four days a week.
The Lutheran Church of 's-Hertogenbosch is a former church in 's-Hertogenbosch.
The City Gymnasium of 's-Hertogenbosch is a grammar school, which is known as a gymnasium in the Netherlands. It is the second oldest school of the Netherlands.
Andreas Johannes Ludovicus baron van den Bogaerde van Terbrugge was a Dutch nobleman, politician, author and art collector. He served as Governor of North Brabant between 1830 and 1842.
Dominicus Franciscus du Bois was a Flemish artist and draughtsman. From 1826, he directed the Royal School for Applied and Visual arts in 's-Hertogenbosch.
Haanwijk is an estate and nature reserve with a manor house near Sint-Michielsgestel in North-Brabant, Netherlands.
C. R. Hermans (1805–1869) was a Dutch teacher, historian, and archaeologist specialized in the history of North-Brabant.
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