Who were the founders of museum The Mesdag Collection, 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 about the history and collection of this wonderful museum in The Hague.
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?
What type of art did The Hague School artists make? And how did the Mesdags contribute to their success?
The Mesdags built a museum next to their house. There, they displayed their own paintings as well as their collection of Dutch and French art.
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.
The Mesdags mainly collected what they considered beautiful, which was more than just paintings. They also collected ceramics by Colenbrander and applied art from Asia.
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.
Technical examination of John Singer Sargent’s painting has revealed some surprising details, such as an underlying composition and fingerprints along the edge of the canvas.
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