The Kremer Collection Newsletter VIII

Dear Sir, Madam,

EXHIBITION IN COLOGNE CLOSED

Now that our exhibition in the Wallraf-Richartz Museum & Fondation Corboud closed on October 5, we can take stock:

• Visitors – Approximately 34,000  people visited the exhibition from Friday 11 July thru Sunday 5 October, or an average of  more than 460 per day. Considering the summer and holiday period, this is a good result. The modern living room theme, designed by  concrete Amsterdam, drew a lot of attention. For pictures, click here.

• Press coverage:

1. Newspapers – Major articles were published in De Telegraaf, Netherlands (11 July), German newspapers like Die Welt (22 July), Die Sueddeutsche Zeitung (8 September), Financieele Dagblad, Netherlands (9 August), Koelnische Rundschau (11 July and 30 August), Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger (11 July), Express (9 July), Aachener Zeitung (11 July) and dozens of other local and regional newspapers.
2. Internet – Many websites, mostly art & news related sites, carried related articles
3. Television – During the official opening on Thursday evening 10 July, the local television station did a live interview with George Kremer.
4. Radio – Various radiostations and websites did comments and videos on the exhibition.
5. Magazines – Various magazines in Germany and Austria carried articles.

• Guestbook – Many visitors took the opportunity to write a short comment in the guestbook which was available in the exhibition space. We intend to publish some of these comments on our website shortly.

• Public reception – The comments by both the public – as evidenced by the guestbook but also verbal comments – and the media were very positive.

• Sale of products – During the exhibition the museumshop sold postcards, notebooks, small notebooks, pocketmirrors, passepartouts, matchboxes.

OPENING IN KASSEL

On Friday 24 October, the second venue of the exhibition will open to the public in Schloss Wilhelmshoehe. During this exhibition, which will run thru Sunday 25 January 2009, 2 new acquisitions will be exhibited, Smiling peasant by Adriaen van Ostade and Village fire by night by Egbert van der Poel (see below). For details of activities organized by the museum during this exhibition, please click here.

NEW ACQUISITIONS

Below we publish 2 recent acquisitions: Adriaen van Ostade’s “Smiling peasant” and Egbert van der Poel’s “Village fire by night”

Adriaen van Ostade, Haarlem 1610-1684/5
Smiling peasant
Panel, 15.5 x 11.5 cm (oval)
Signed and dated 164.

             
van Ostade                                                       Brouwer

Adriaen van Ostade’s Smiling peasant is a relatively early work, dating to the 1640’s. According to Van Houbraken, Van Ostade and Adriaen Brouwer knew each other in Haarlem in the studio of Frans Hals. Although no compelling evidence for this exists, Van Ostade must have known Brouwer’s work as evidenced by comparing the works in our collection from this period. Both are thinly painted, on similar sized panels and show similar tonality and subjects.

Egbert van der Poel, 1621-1664
Village fire by night
Panel, 26.9 x 35.2 cm
Signed and dated: Evanderpoel 1658

van der Poel – “Village fire by night” – 1658

Colonia – “Village fire by night”

In the 16th and 17th century, paintings of fires – preferably at night – were very popular. Van der Poel was a specialist in this genre and was crucial in its develoment. Van der Poel had a number of followers, the best known of which is Adam Colonia, an artist who has been represented in the collection for a number of years with a very similar work, also called Village fire by night (31.7 x 39.2 cm). Van der Poel’s panel – unlike Colonia’s panel which is slightly larger – is dated 1658.

We are very happy that within the collection we can now show the master and his pupil with very representative works. The acquisitions will soon be added to our website.

We hope you enjoy our newsletter updates and look forward to receiving your feedback.

Sincerely,

George Kremerwww.thekremercollection.com