Stories
Who were Hendrik Willem Mesdag and Sientje Mesdag-van Houten? How did they develop as artists? And what kind of art did they collect? Read the stories and discover more.
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The Mesdags
Hendrik Willem Mesdag and Sientje Mesdag-van Houten changed course. They became artists. How did that come about? And how did they become famous so quickly?
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The Hague School
What type of art did The Hague School artists make? And how did the Mesdags contribute to their success?
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A Museum of their Own
Hendrik Willem and Sientje Mesdag-van Houten had a museum built next to their house. There, they displayed their own paintings as well as their collection of Dutch and French art.
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The Barbizon Painters
When the Mesdags decorated their house, they proudly had the names of French artists painted onto the walls: Daubigny, Millet, Courbet, Corot. These painters all featured in their collection.
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Not Just Paintings
Hendrik Willem and Sientje Mesdag mainly collected what they considered beautiful, which was more than just paintings. They also collected ceramics by Theo Colenbrander and applied art from Asia.
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The Second World War
What happened to the museum during times of war? During the Second World War, Director Wilhelm Martin did everything he could to protect the museum.
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Egyptian Indigo Dyers
Technical examination of John Singer Sargent’s Egyptian Indigo Dyers has revealed some surprising details, including an underlying composition and fingerprints along the edge of the canvas.
