Trendsetters of the 19th Century

Cradle of the Hague School 

The Hague - birthplace of the Hague School - was a true city of artists. With the art academy around the corner, the lively artists' society Pulchri Studio and prominent painters who wanted to help younger colleagues get ahead, there was a dynamic art climate.

Hendrik Willem and Sientje Mesdag were at the forefront of all this. With their Panorama and the (group) exhibitions they organised in the museum and elsewhere, they managed to reach a large audience. Sientje Mesdag was also an independent spirit who became a role model for female colleagues.

Never-before-seen paintings

The exhibition features works from the collection of the Mesdag couple of artists from our museum, recent acquisitions and special loans from private individuals. Of special note is the new acquisition of Marius Bauer's Oriental Feastman. On display are, among others, paintings, drawings and etchings by Jacob Maris, Floris Arntzenius, Barbara van Houten, David Artz, never-before-seen paintings by Hendrik Willem and Sientje Mesdag and works by the Panorama painters: George Breitner, Théophile de Bock, Bernard Blommers and Sientje Mesdag-van Houten.