Expansion of the Art Collection
We recently received a remarkable gift from one of our longstanding clients: a work by Sam van Strien (Delft, 1992). He studied at Central Saint Martins in London and at Ohio State University, and currently teaches architecture at Indiana University.
Van Strien explores the relationship between architecture and capital. His practice includes rubbings of buildings, laser-cut photographs and drawings based on archival material — documents of the built environment that simultaneously question what architecture actually is. His work has been exhibited in cities including London, Seoul and Oslo.
A wonderful addition to the house’s art collection.
The Toussainthuis Art Collection
The Toussainthuis houses an art collection of museum quality, comprising more than one hundred works. The collection combines graphic works and oil paintings by Dutch artists from the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries, including Armando, Corneille, Jan Cremer, Klaas Gubbels and Kees van Bohemen.
Quality has always been the guiding principle in assembling the collection. All works are uniformly framed, are in excellent condition and have a documented provenance. The collection includes works by approximately forty artists, several of whom are highlighted below.
Armando
Among the artists represented is Armando (1929–2018), a remarkably versatile figure: painter, sculptor, poet, writer, violinist, journalist, actor and sportsman. He spent his youth in Amersfoort and later divided his time between Amstelveen and Berlin.
As a visual artist, he was a member of the Dutch Informal Group, which later evolved into the Dutch Nul movement. His fascination with flags is reflected in several of his works. In 2007, the Armando Museum in Amersfoort was completely destroyed by a major fire, resulting in the loss of many of his works as well as part of the museum’s documentation archive.
Corneille
Painter Corneille (1922–2010) was initially strongly influenced by the work of Picasso. In 1948, he moved away from this influence and became one of the founders of the CoBrA movement, alongside artists including Karel Appel, Jan Nieuwenhuijs and Constant Nieuwenhuijs.
Corneille himself maintained that painting was neither a hobby nor a profession, but rather a calling. During the final years of his life, he lived a secluded life in Paris.
Jan Cremer
Jan Cremer (1940–2024) was both a writer and visual artist. He became particularly well known for his novel Ik, Jan Cremer, which caused a sensation with its provocative language and irreverent style.
In his visual art, too, Cremer distanced himself from traditional aesthetics and established cultural conventions. This earned him a reputation as the enfant terrible of Dutch art. Bold colours and powerful, expressive gestures are characteristic of his work.
Klaas Gubbels
Klaas Gubbels (1934) is best known for his still lifes depicting tables, chairs and teapots. Over the years, his work has become increasingly abstract.
Although his visual vocabulary is deliberately limited, this repetition is also precisely where the strength and charm of his work lie. His distinctive teapot motif, instantly recognisable and recurring throughout his oeuvre, has become an icon in its own right.
Johannes Bosboom
There is one notable exception within the collection and it is also its undisputed masterpiece.
The centrepiece of the collection is a painting by Johannes Bosboom depicting the interior of the Church of St Jacques in Antwerp. Painted around 1840, the work returned to the place of its origin after more than 180 years: the very studio in which Bosboom once worked.
In May 2022, the Toussainthuis succeeded in acquiring this imposing painting, bringing an exceptional work by Bosboom back home and establishing it as the centrepiece of the collection.
