It’s not a done deal yet, but the City Museum in Rhenen is one step closer to acquiring Jan van Goyen’s painting “View of Rhenen.” Residents donated the first 1,000 euros, and the Foundation for the Former Guesthouse and Orphanage in Rhenen made a generous donation of 25,000 euros. In total, the City Museum needs 350,000 euros to purchase the painting, which is also known as “The Night Watch of Rhenen.”
Ulrike Nagel filmed and edited this segment for RTV Utrecht.
Director Maike Woldring beams with pride as she shows the room housing the artwork. “I’m not from Rhenen myself, but every time I cross the river, I see that little town nestled between the Rhine and the Heuvelrug, and I think: Wow, it’s so beautiful here! And you feel that immediately when you see this painting.”
Visitors can examine every detail of this nearly 400-year-old painting from 1649. In addition, a film has been produced explaining the buildings that stood in Rhenen at that time. There’s also a sound compilation, so you can use your ears to place everything you see in the painting in the correct historical context. “We call this a conversation piece; you can talk with each other about all the things depicted in it,” said Director Woldring.
‘The Night Watch of Rhenen’
Mieke Hasselton and her colleague Peter Kevenaar have taken a seat on the bench across from the artwork. Both work as volunteers at the City Museum. The room has been specially arranged for this one painting. Mieke immediately recognizes the old buildings in the painting. “The royal palace, for example—it no longer exists; unfortunately, it was eventually torn down
.”“The painting is truly special,” Peter adds, “for us, it’s just like *The Night Watch* is for the Rijksmuseum. And hopefully that will draw a lot of people who want to see it. And I hope it’s attractive enough that we’ll get a lot of visitors—not as many as the Rijksmuseum, but certainly on that scale.”
For the small City Museum, the loan of this artwork is a dream come true, says the director. “I received an email asking if we were interested in this. Then I thought, this is the perfect opportunity for this museum to tell a wonderful story about the history of Rhenen, which has been overlooked.”Jan van Goyen is a well-known 17th-century painter. “When I think of Jan van Goyen,” Maike Woldring continues, “I also think of Rembrandt, Van Ruysdael, and Vermeer. They’ve all painted scenes of Rhenen. They traveled a great deal, and here on the border of the Lower Rhine and the Heuvelrug, it felt to them as if they were abroad.” Jan van Goyen alone painted Rhenen 28 times. Until now, not a single one of these works of art has actually been displayed in the city. That’s about to change.
Everything has to be just right
Eventually, the Berlin art collector—who wishes to remain anonymous—asked if the museum would also like to purchase the painting. “That’s when our hearts really started racing; even just a loan involves a lot of work. The right climate, the right security, the right lighting, the right presentation—that’s already a challenge. But what can we do with it if we actually get to keep it?”
“First, we sat down with a number of experts—specialists from the Rijksmuseum and the Netherlands Institute for Art History. We asked appraisers what they thought of the asking price, because we needed to understand the entire process before getting started. Everything turned out to be in order, so we’re taking the plunge.”
350,000 euros
Now we’re looking into where the money can come from. Woldring: “First, we’re looking at the major foundations—the ones that are truly intended to help acquire exceptional works of art if you have a compelling case. The Mondriaan Fund or the Rembrandt Society. But we also know how important it is to involve the people for whom we’re doing all of this.”
And so everyone can contribute something. QR codes are displayed throughout the museum, making it easy to donate a small amount. But larger donations are also welcome. In return, the museum—housed in a charming old town hall right next to the Cunera Church—offers its gratitude.Volunteers Mieke and Peter haven’t made a donation yet, but they plan to. Peter: “We’re not talking about a lot of zeros here, but rather the number before the zero,” he says with a broad smile.
