GRAND OPENING OF THE ISRAËLS. FATHER AND SON

on 10 November 2024 in the MTVP Museum Domburg

More than 250 enthusiast attendees were present at the opening of the exhibition ‘The Israëls. Father and Son’ in the MTVP Museum in Domburg. It was a cold late afternoon, but Glühwein and inspiring speeches warmed those present. After a welcome by the President of the Board Arnold van Houtum, the Museum’s Curator Francisca van Vloten explained the display of photogravures from 1904 in honour of Jozef Israëls, followed by paintings by Jozef from the collection of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, and by a series of works by him and especially his son from family collections, many of which have never been shown outside the private sphere. The works showed the father as a romantic who became a realist and the son as developing into an impressionist.

Israëls’ descendant Chris van Weel discussed the family relationships with attention not only for Jozef and Isaac but also for Jozef’s wife Aleida and their daughter Mathilde, a feminist and fighter for women’s rights. Then in a passionate opening story, the writer Jan Brokken looked at the father and son from their ties with the German painter Max Liebermann who was a friend of both of them, and the flutist Eleonore Pameijer followed that up with beautiful renditions of moving works by Jozef’s contemporary, the Hague composer Bernhard van den Sigtenhorst Meyer and a matching composition by the French composer Cécile Chaminade.

In little groups the attendees were allowed to enter the Museum Hall and see the impressive exhibition. Then there were drinks and snacks and the possibility to buy books by Jan Brokken, Chris van Weel, Evelyn van Weel-Baumgarten and Francisca van Vloten and have them signed by the authors. It was all very heartwarming.