DMspotlight - Cornelis van der Sluys, Afina Goudschaal and Suze Robertson
From 16 April to 01 October 2023, the Drents Museum's cabinets will display the work of three artists from the period around 1900. With the DMspotlight series, the Drents Museum presents three artists from the collection each time. Cornelis van der Sluys, Afina Goudschaal and Suze Robertson are the first three. Artists around 1900 were full of dreams and ideals. The 'new age' called for 'new art' that is beautiful, but also functional.
Art 1885-1935
Those were turbulent times around 1900. Scientists made one discovery after another, women got the right to vote and cities grew enormously as a result of the industrial revolution. Artists felt it was time for 'new art'. In addition to paintings and sculptures, they now designed posters, interiors and garments. Crockery and furniture became unique art objects. The diversity of the 40,000 objects in the Drents Museum's Art 1885-1935 collection is great. There is work by more than 500 artists and factories
Cornelis van der Sluys
Cornelis van der Sluys (1881-1944) was a designer of applied arts such as furniture, lamps, wallpaper and ceramics. He wanted to make his designs accessible to as many people as possible. The first presentation of the recurring DMspotlight series features several works by Van der Sluys, including pottery, wallpaper and a screen print.
Overview including Cornelis van der Sluys, S. Lankhout & Co. (execution), Poster for Arts & Crafts, 1902, screenprint, Collection R. van der Sluys.
Afina Goudschaal
In the period around 1900, more and more women attended art academies. Afina Goudschaal (1877-1956) graduated from Academy Minerva, Groningen's art school. The education of female students was different from that of male colleagues. For example, women spent a lot of time copying flowers and plants. This is reflected in Goudschaal's stylised motifs. Besides motifs, a number of her portrait miniatures are also on display.
Afina Goudschaal, overview of various motifs, undated, pencil, ink, watercolour on paper, Collection Family le Grand.
Suze Robertson
Radical innovator Suze Robertson (1855-1922) drew and painted harsh everyday life in an expressive manner. Peasant women and working-class women were her preferred subjects. Two works by Robertson have recently been added to the collection with the support of the Friends of the Drents Museum Foundation. These new acquisitions can be seen for the first time in DMspotlight. The future donation, the work Bleekveld in Leur, is presented alongside these recent acquisitions.
Suze Robertson, Bleekveld in Leur (detail), 1895 - 1889, oil on panel, private collection (future donation to Drents Museum