The Mesdag Collection has produced a range of publications focusing on the Mesdags' and their collection. A selection of the most important publications are listed below.
Masterpieces in The Mesdag Collection
The Mesdag Collection presents the unique ensemble of artworks acquired by the internationally renowned artists Hendrik Willem Mesdag and Sientje Mesdag-van Houten. The remarkable body of paintings, drawings and decorative art that the couple collected in the second half of the nineteenth century can still be seen in its historical setting in The Hague.
The museum is known for its group of French masterpieces by the Barbizon painters – one of the largest of its kind in the world – and its impressive collection of paintings, watercolours and drawings by artists of The Hague School.
This publication was made possible with the support of Stichting Gifted Art. Paperback, 136 pages, 112 illustrations. Available in English, Dutch and French. By Maite van Dijk and Renske Suijver, with contributions by Menno Fitski and Christien Smits.
Mesdag & Colenbrander
Hendrik Willem Mesdag and his wife Sientje Mesdag-van Houten were both artists and collectors. In the late nineteenth century they began to acquire ornamental earthenware by the Dutch designer Theo Colenbrander. The result was a large and internationally significant collection of his garnitures, plates and vases. This book describes the extraordinary collection and discusses the colourful and attractive style and innovative designs associated with Colenbrander’s ceramics.
Author: Titus M. Eliëns, a specialist in the Dutch decorative arts. Paperback, 96 pages, richly illustrated. Dutch-English edition, € 19.95. ISBN 978-94-62622-46-3.
This book is available online in the Van Gogh Museum’s webstore and in the Dutch bookstores.
Hendrik Willem Mesdag – kunstenaar, verzamelaar, entrepreneur
(‘Hendrik Willem Mesdag – artist, collector, entrepreneur’, only available in Dutch)
Hendrik Willem Mesdag (1831-1915) was one of the most powerful figures of his time in the Dutch art world. This richly illustrated monograph is the first publication to link Mesdag’s position as a celebrated marine painter and art collector with his skills as a businessman.
Mesdag’s wide-ranging network – both national and international – and the skilful use he made of his various roles and interests, enabled him to carve out a central position for himself in the cultural life of his time.
Hendrik Willem Mesdag – kunstenaar, verzamelaar, entrepreneur shows that alongside being a true ‘art tsar’ within the Dutch cultural world of his day, Mesdag was also a talented businessman and a versatile cultural entrepreneur.
Museum Mesdag: Catalogue of Paintings and Drawings
This scholarly publication, dating from 1996, describes all the paintings and drawings in the collection. It was written by Fred Leeman and Hanna Pennock, with contributions by Saskia de Bodt and Ronald de Leeuw.
Mesdag & Japan
In the late nineteenth century, the Dutch artist and collector, Hendrik Willem Mesdag, amassed an eclectic collection of Japanese arte facts, ranging from samurai swords and colourful earthenware to bronze cranes and majestic altar vases. At the time, decorative art from Japan was all the rage. This richly illustrated book places Mesdag’s collection in a cultural-historical context, paying homage to an idiosyncratic collector and his outstanding collection of Japanese applied art.
Author: Renske Suijver, in collaboration with Bram Donders. Paperback, 80 pages, richly illustrated. Dutch-English edition, € 14.90. ISBN 978-90-79310-90-6. This book is available in the museum shop of The Mesdag Collection.
Visit the library
More books and documentation on The Mesdag Collection is available in the library and reading room in Amsterdam.