BRENTWOOD—The J. Paul Getty Museum announced their acquisition of 39 Dutch drawings on Tuesday, October 13, constituting a curatorially addition to the museum’s collection.
The collection showcases a thorough and representative overview of different subjects, styles, and artists active throughout 17th century Netherlands or otherwise known as the “Golden Age” of Dutch Art. The collection, consisting of landscapes, seascapes, figure studies, portraits, nature studies, and allegorical compositions, demonstrates the nuance and variety of mediums used among the Dutch artistic Luminaries of the “Golden Age” time period.
“Several drawings represent artists who are almost never available on the market, including Cornelis Vroom, Hendrick Dubbels, Jacob Pynas, and Gerrit Pietersz, adding rarity and depth to the group, and enabling the Getty to showcase a more complete history of Dutch art,” said Museum Director Timothy Potts in a press release.
“[This was] Set in motion nearly two years ago and finalized in January 2020, this major acquisition dramatically enhances our Dutch drawings collection, increasing it by a third, and placing it among the most important museum holdings in the United States.”
The curator of drawings, Stephanie Schrader stated:
“This landmark acquisition of 39 drawings from a private collector will allow our visitors to explore in depth the subjects and techniques that made artists of the Dutch Republic so renowned and beloved.”
The collection contains works from notable artists of the time period including “A Cottage among Trees” (1653-1653) by Jacob van Ruisdael, “The House with a Little Tower Seen from the North East” (c.1660) by Adriaen van de Velde, and Rembrandt van Rijn’s “Young Man Leaning on a Stick,” (c.1629). A temporally aberrant 20th Century watercolor, made in 1901, by Piet Mondrian is present in the collection as well.
“We are thrilled that, with this acquisition, we are able to bring these objects from a private collection into the public domain,” said Potts. “[Thus] making them available for scholarly research and for the enjoyment of our international audience.”
