Page 51 - Studio International - May 1973

Notes on private that of Van Achterbergh in Amstelveen, near Cobra group and related artists like Benner,
Amsterdam. He owns the most extensive Lucebert, and the sculptor Tajiri. Examples of
collections in and best known collection of modern ceramics Cobra and 'Cobra-atmosphere' collections
in the Netherlands : several thousand pieces, (with works by Appel, Corneille, Brands,
the Netherlands ranging from Lucie Rie and Hans Coper to Rooskens, Constant, Alechinsky, Jorn, but also
Luigi and Sophie de Lerna, from Japanese by Diederen, Lataster and many post-
earthenware to Jan van der Vaart, Etie van Rees, Cobraists) are those of De Jong (formerly in
Jan de Rooden and Johnny Rolf. This Hengelo, now in Ascona), Sijmons (Amsterdam)
collection, which was started in 1959, is now Tiessen (Hilversum), De Groot (Groningen).
housed for the most part in Amsterdam, where Realists of all kinds (but more especially
it can be viewed by appointment.2 those who work on the border-line between
Groenendijk, Poortvliet, Van Eelen, Van Sculptures, mainly, are collected by KLM Surrealism and magic realism) are favoured by
Achterbergh, Tiessen, De Jong, Becht, director Van der Wal in Ouderkerk (Tajiri, many collectors. Fortunately works by the best
Sijmons, Straat, Fauser, Wijngaard, Visser, Couzijn, to mention a few Dutch names of these are included in some private collections,
Premsela, Piers, Van der Wal, Tromp from the collection). This preference for and not only the products of second and third-
Meesters, Kuilman, Sanders, Mees, Visser, sculpture is shared by collector Mees of rate epigones. Pyke Koch, Co Westerik, and
Peijnenburg, Van Bommel-Van Dam, Noordwijkerhout, who has sculptures by Reinier Lucassen are Dutch names that no
Wildenberg, De Vries Robbé, De Groot . . . . Marini, Arp and Giacometti in a studio collector need be ashamed of.
all names of Dutch collectors who purchase (formerly Wenckebach's) remodelled by Whereas artists like Struycken, Dekkers,
twentieth-century art (especially that of post Rietveld. Some collect only ceramics and Bonies (and many others) clearly continue a
I945) and are satisfied with it. Their names plastic art, others buy mainly graphics or constructivist tradition that is fairly popular in
represent collections that are sometimes not drawings, sometimes by not more than one or the Netherlands, their work is often not very
very big, or are small but highly specialized, or two artists. Examples of this type of collector well represented in the larger private collections.
greatly varied and rather haphazard, and so on. are Piers of Amsterdam (predominantly Except in museums like the Stedelijk Museum
'Compared to Belgium and Germany, Heyboer), Kuilman in Schiedam (mainly Cassee in Amsterdam, the Municipal Museum in The
Holland's private collections occupy a modest and Westerik), and Groenendijk in Amsterdam Hague and the Van Abbemuseum in
place. Although subsidies are given on purchases (many works by Lucebert, but also by Mire), Eindhoven, where some of these artists are very
below Hfl 3000, no tax reductions are given in Léger, Sipke Huismans). well represented (others less so or not at all),
this sector. This could encourage people to Many Dutch collectors are strongly attracted their work is often to be found in relatively small,
spend larger sums on art.'1 by expressionist art forms, and particularly by specialized collections.
Although it is not very spectacular modern art Nordic expressionism. There is a lot of work Schiedam is the home of Professor Piet
that is collected in the 'land of Philips and by people like Jan Wiegers, Job Hansen, Herman Sanders and his wife, who have acquired an
Unilever' (unlike in Germany by Ströher and Kruyder in the collections, besides that of interesting collection of African sculptures, a
Ludwig, or in Italy by Panza di Biumo) there are Werkman. After the Second World War many Tellem statue, and some Mexican art as well as
fortunately several worthwhile collections. collectors started, after some hesitation, twentieth-century works. These collectors want
One example of a good, specialized collection is enthusiastically buying pieces by members of the to demonstrate the differences and parallels
5 8

2 (Photograph numbers t, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10-15, 18-21,
6 and 24 are in the collection of Fritz and Agnes Becht,
Hilversum. The other works are in the collection of
Martin and Mia Visser, Bergeyk.
Photographic credits: Studio Hartland, 2, 3, 7, 9, 10,
14,15, 16, 18, 24; Dick Hetjes, 5, 6; Dwan Gallery,
2 I ; Co Westerik, ; de Stigter, Amsterdam, 13;
van den Bichelaer Geldrop, 12; Fotopersbureau
Heyn, Maastricht, 20.)
Reiner Ruthenbeck
Doppel Aschehaufen 1968
2 Mimmo Rotella
Marilyn Monroe 1963-4
7 3 Gilbert and George
Conception and Nothing but D. Best 1970
4 Richard Long
4 Untitled 1968
5 Work by Robert Morris, Sol LeWitt,
Daniel Buren in the Visser's shed
in Bergeyk.
6 Richard Long
Sculpture 1972
7 Peter Blake
Simon Rodia 1965
8 Gilbert and George
Sculpture for Studio International 1969
233