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The Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics has acquired a major collection of contemporary ceramics. The family of collector Ronald Kuipers (1958–2014) donated 37 works from his estate to the museum. The Princessehof is fortunate to receive this gift, which fits seamlessly into the collection and exhibition policy. The works of ceramic artists such as Nick Renshaw, Irene Vonck and Masayuki Inoue can be seen until 13 March 2016 in Leeuwarden.
From 1984 until his death in 2014, Mr Kuipers collected ceramics with a great passion. He amassed his collection over a period of 30 years, and was always on the lookout for shapes, colours or ideas that inspired him. Works by ceramists like Nick Renshaw, Wilma Bosland, Vincent McGourty, Irene Vonck, Anton Reijnders and Rod Bugg testify to Kuipers’ eye for innovation. He was a patron to young talented ceramicists: Galerie De Witte Voet in Amsterdam, where Kuipers was regular customer, played an important role in this. An important part of the gift can be seen in the Princessehof in Leeuwarden until 13 March 2016. The Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum also has works from Ronald Kuipers’ estate, which it will display until 21 February 2016.
Choice
After Ronald Kuipers passed away, his heirs invited the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum and the Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics to make a selection from his collection. The Princessehof selected 37 works by seventeen artists. Seven of them already have works in the museum's collection, the other ten are newcomers, and a few have not been represented in any museum collection in the Netherlands until now. The Princessehof focuses on the relationship between Asia and Europe, also when it comes to contemporary ceramics. Among the chosen objects are works by three Japanese ceramists. The selection also includes works by famous artists who do not use clay as their standard medium such as Anish Kapoor and Anton Reijnders.
Collector’s museum
The Princessehof Museum of Ceramics and its collection originated with the collector Nanne Ottema. To house his collection of ceramics, in 1917 he was allowed to use the former city palace of Princess Maria Louise of Hessen-Kassel, ancestor of our king, in Leeuwarden. The collections grew during the twentieth century, also thanks to gifts from collectors. The ceramic collection has some incomparable highlights such as its internationally renowned collection of Ming objects, and leading art nouveau and ceramic art by national and international artists such as Karel Appel, Lucebert, Picasso and Armando. Besides the beautiful permanent presentations of the museum’s collection, the museum also organises high-profile exhibitions.