The Leiden Collection

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The Leiden Collection
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founding 2003
founder Thomas S. Kaplan and Daphne Recanati Kaplan
Seat New York City , United States
main emphasis Private collection of 17th century Dutch painting
owner Thomas S. Kaplan and Daphne Recanati Kaplan
Website www.theleidencollection.com

The Leiden Collection is a private art collection in New York City . It was founded by the American entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist Thomas S. Kaplan and his wife Daphne Recanati. With more than 250 paintings and drawings, mostly by Dutch painters, the Leiden Collection, named after Rembrandt van Rijn's hometown, is the largest private collection of Dutch paintings from the golden age .

Since 2003 the owners have been active anonymously as lenders of individual paintings to numerous international museums. They went public in 2017 and have since loaned large parts of their collection to the Louvre , Louvre Abu Dhabi and several Russian and Chinese museums for exhibition . In January 2017 the online catalog of the collection was activated, which reproduces more than 180 works from the collection in high-resolution photos. The texts reflect the results of current studies of the paintings and have been extensively researched by art historians.

history

Aristotle with a Bust of Homer , Rembrandt, 1653, oil on canvas, 141.8 × 134.4 cm, Metropolitan Museum of Art , New York City

Thomas Kaplan's interest in the works of the Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn and other painters from the Dutch Golden Age dates back to a visit to the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art at the age of six. He was deeply impressed by Rembrandt's painting Aristotle with a bust of Homer . Two years later, at the request of his parents, he chose Amsterdam as a holiday destination. Kaplan's interest in Rembrandt rested over decades of training and professional life. Having become financially independent as entrepreneurs, Kaplan and his wife Daphne Recanati collected mid-20th century modernist design. Her collection of works by French and Italian artists such as Jean Prouvé , Alexander Noll , Charlotte Perriand and Carlo Mollino was one of the most important in the world, including the collections of public museums. Although Kaplan admired the works of Rembrandt and his contemporaries, he was of the opinion that these works should all be in museum possession and therefore inaccessible to a collector.

Norman Rosenthal, 2012

Through a chance encounter with the British art historian and curator Norman Rosenthal , Kaplan learned that the works he valued are in fact undervalued and are occasionally available on the art market. The two stuck with the agreement that Rosenthal would be in touch if a Gerard Dou appears on the art market. A little later, through Rosenthal's mediation, Thomas Kaplan and Daphne Recanati acquired their first Dutch old master , the small-format oil painting Portrait of Dirck van Beresteyn by Gerard Dou from around 1652 . In retrospect, they consider the picture to be one of their most important paintings as it was “the stepping stone” to building the Leiden Collection.

For the next five years the chaplains bought a large number of Dutch Old Masters, at times one painting a week. In doing so, they came into contact with the leading representatives of the international art trade, namely Otto Naumann in New York, Johnny Van Haeften in London and Salomon Lilian in Amsterdam and Geneva. They were represented by art agents for purchases and visits , usually the three aforementioned dealers. By 2019, the Leiden Collection had grown to include more than 250 works by Dutch painters of the 17th century, most of whom lived and worked in Leiden . The core of the collection consists of 15 paintings and two drawings by Rembrandt van Rijn, as well as a large number of works by his students or from his circle. With Ferdinand Bol , Gerard Dou, Govaert Flinck , Arent de Gelder and Jan Lievens , several painters in this group are each represented with several works. Other artists are Carel Fabritius with Hagar and the Angel , Johannes Vermeer with his young wife at the virginal and Peter Paul Rubens with two paintings.

Until 2017, the Kaplan couple only appeared as an anonymous lender of outstanding works of art. In doing so, they followed the example of the entrepreneur and philanthropist Eli Broad , who, before founding the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, made his works of contemporary art available to the public by lending them to museums. The chaplains wanted to set up a “lending library for old masters”, also with an inventory that is accessible to the public through loans to exhibition organizers and permanent loans to museums. Since 2017, they have given up their anonymity and organized exhibitions of parts of the collection in collaboration with museums on several continents, starting with the Louvre in Paris.

The chaplains attach great importance to the thorough scientific processing of their paintings. Over the years, more than twenty art historians have worked on the Leiden Collection. Since January 2017, most of the works have been presented on the collection's website with high-resolution photos and extensive descriptions, the online catalog is being edited by Arthur K. Wheelock as editor. The representations always come from experts for the work of the respective artist. They are based on in-depth examinations of the works and on extensive research.

Works in the collection (selection)

image title Artist Emergence Procedure and format Year of purchase
Lovers (Prodigal Son), Godefridus Schalcken, 1692-1706, oil on canvas, 76.5 by 63.8 cm, The Leiden Collection.jpg Brothel scene Godefridus Schalcken 1692 to 1706 Oil on canvas, 76.5 × 63.8 cm 2004
Young Lion Resting.jpg Resting young lion Rembrandt van Rijn ca. 1638-1642 black chalk, heightened with white chalk, on brown primed paper, 11.5 × 15.0 cm 2005
Study of a Woman in a White Cap, Rembrandt van Rijn, c. 1640, The Leiden Collection, New York.jpg Study of a Woman in a White Cap Rembrandt van Rijn circa 1640 Oil on oak wood, 47.3 × 39.0 cm 2006
Samuel Ampzing by Frans Hals.jpg Portrait of Samuel Ampzing Frans Hals 1630 Oil on copper, 16.4 × 12.4 cm 2007
Hearing, by Rembrandt.jpg The three singers (listening) Rembrandt van Rijn 1624/25 Oil on oak, 21.6 × 17.8 cm 2007
Touch, by Rembrandt.jpg The head operation (feeling) Rembrandt van Rijn 1624/25 Oil on oak, 21.5 × 17.7 cm 2007
Young Woman Feeding a Parrot, Frans van Mieris, 1663, oil on panel, 22.4 by 17.7 cm, The Leiden Collection.jpg Young woman feeds a parrot Frans van Mieris the Elder 1663 Oil on oak, 22.4 × 17.7 cm 2008
Young Woman Seated at a Virginal, Johannes Vermeer, 1670-1672, oil on canvas, 25.5 by 20.1 cm, The Leiden Collection.jpg Young woman at the virginal Jan Vermeer 1670-1672 Oil on canvas, 25.5 × 20.1 cm 2008
Man with the Moneybag.jpg Man with the purse and flatterers Pieter Brueghel the Younger circa 1592 Oil on oak wood, 16.7 × 16.9 cm (round) 2009
Portrait of Antonie Coopal, Rembrandt and workshop, 1635, The Leiden Collection.jpg Portrait of Antonie Coopal Rembrandt van Rijn 1635 Oil on diamond nut, 83.5 × 67.6 cm 2010
Hagar and the Angel, Carel Fabritius, 1645, oil on canvas, 157.5 by 136 cm, The Leiden Collection.jpg Hagar and the angel Carel Fabritius circa 1645 Oil on canvas, 157.5 × 136 cm 2011
Commodus by Rubens.jpg Commodus as Hercules and as a gladiator Peter Paul Rubens 1599 to 1600 Oil on oak wood, 65.5 × 54.4 cm 2011
Frans van Mieris - resting traveler.jpg Traveler taking a break Frans van Mieris the Elder circa 1657 Oil on copper, 21.6 × 17.8 cm 2014
Smell, by Rembrandt.jpg The passed out patient (smelling) Rembrandt van Rijn 1624/25 Oil on oak, 31.7 × 25.4 cm 2016
Man with a Sword, Rembrandt van Rijn and Workshop, 1644, oil on canvas, 102.3 by 88.9, The Leiden Collection.jpg Man with a sword Rembrandt van Rijn and workshop 1640 Oil on canvas, 102.3 × 88.9 cm 2017
Bust of a Bearded Old Man, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1633, The Leiden Collection, New York City.jpg Half-length portrait of a bearded old man Rembrandt van Rijn 1633 Oil on paper, mounted on wood, 8.9 × 6.4 cm 2018

Exhibitions (chronological)

  • Museum De Lakenhal , Leiden, Netherlands. Exhibition Gerrit Dou. The Leiden Collection from New York (German: Gerard Dou. The Leiden Collection from New York ), 2014.
  • Louvre , Paris, France. Exhibition Le siècle de Rembrandt (German: The Century of Rembrandt ), 2017.
  • Chinese National Museum , Beijing, PRC. Exhibition Rembrandt and His Time. Masterpieces from The Leiden Collection (German: Rembrandt und seine Zeit. Masterpieces from the Leiden Collection ), 2017.
  • Long Museum West Bund , Shanghai, PR China. Exhibition Rembrandt, Vermeer and Hals in the Dutch Golden Age. Masterpieces from The Leiden Collection (German: Rembrandt, Vermeer and Hals in the Golden Age of the Netherlands. Masterpieces from the Leiden Collection ), 2017–2018.
  • Pushkin Museum , Moscow, Russia. Exhibition The Age of Rembrandt and Vermeer. Masterpieces of The Leiden Collection (German: The Age of Rembrandt and Vermeer. Masterpieces of the Leiden Collection ), 2018.
  • Hermitage , Saint Petersburg, Russia. Exhibition The Age of Rembrandt and Vermeer. Masterpieces of The Leiden Collection (German: The Age of Rembrandt and Vermeer. Masterpieces of the Leiden Collection ), 2018–2019.
  • Louvre Abu Dhabi , United Arab Emirates. Exhibition Rembrandt, Vermeer and the Dutch Golden Age. Masterpieces from The Leiden Collection and the Musée du Louvre (German: Rembrandt, Vermeer and the Golden Age of the Netherlands. Masterpieces from the Leiden Collection and the Musée du Louvre ), 2019.

literature

  • Dominique Surh, Ilona van Tuinen and John Twilley: Insights from Technical Analysis on a Group of Paintings by Gerrit Dou in the Leiden Collection . In: JHNA 2014, Volume 6, No. 1, doi: 10.5092 / jhna.2014.6.1.3 .

Catalogs

  • Blaise Ducos and Dominique Surh (eds.): Le siècle de Rembrandt. Chefs-d'oeuvre de la Collection Leiden. The Age of Rembrandt. Masterpieces of the Leiden Collection . The Leiden Collection, New York 2017, ISBN 978-2-7572-1215-8 .
  • Thomas S. Kaplan and Lara Yeager-Crasselt (eds.): Ėpocha Rembrandta i Vermeera. Sedevry Lejdenskoj kollekcii. The Age of Rembrandt and Vermeer. Masterpieces of The Leiden Collection . Pushkin Museum, Moscow 2018, ISBN 978-5-4330-0111-4 .
  • Blaise Ducos and Lara Yeager-Crasselt (Eds.): Rembrandt, Vermeer and the Dutch Golden Age. Masterpieces from The Leiden Collection and the Musée du Louvre . Saqi Books, London 2019, ISBN 978-0-86356-321-8 .

Web links

Commons : The Leiden Collection  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e James Reginato: The Leiden Collection of Dutch Golden Age Paintings , Sotheby's website, April 28, 2017, accessed October 24, 2019.
  2. ↑ a b c Arjen Ribbens: Honderden Hollandse meesters in handen van deze Amerikaanse miljardair , NRC Handelsblad online, January 11, 2017, accessed on October 24, 2019.
  3. ↑ a b About the Collectors . Leiden Collection website, accessed October 24, 2019.
  4. ↑ Dominique Surh: Portrait of Dirck van Beresteyn . In: Arthur K. Wheelock (Ed.): The Leiden Collection Catalog , website of the Leiden Collection, accessed October 24, 2019.
  5. ↑ a b Ted Loos: Billionaire's Spending Spree Creates 'Lending Library for Old Masters' , The New York Times , May 8, 2017, accessed October 24, 2019.
  6. ↑ Fiametta Rocco: The Man with the Most Rembrandts , 1843 online, June / July 2017, accessed October 24, 2019.
  7. ↑ Guido Jansen: Lovers (Prodigal Son) . In: Arthur K. Wheelock (Ed.): The Leiden Collection Catalog , website of the Leiden Collection, accessed October 24, 2019.
  8. ↑ Peter Schatborn: Young Lion Resting . In: Arthur K. Wheelock (Ed.): The Leiden Collection Catalog , website of the Leiden Collection, accessed October 24, 2019.
  9. ^ David de Witt: Study of a Woman in a White Cap . In: Arthur K. Wheelock (Ed.): The Leiden Collection Catalog , website of the Leiden Collection, accessed October 24, 2019.
  10. ^ Walter A. Liedtke: Portrait of Samuel Ampzing . In: Arthur K. Wheelock (Ed.): The Leiden Collection Catalog , website of the Leiden Collection, accessed October 24, 2019.
  11. ↑ a b c Alexandra Libby, Ilona van Tuinen and Arthur K. Wheelock: Allegory of Hearing, Allegory of Smell, Allegory of Touch, from The Series of the Five Senses . In: Arthur K. Wheelock (Ed.): The Leiden Collection Catalog , website of the Leiden Collection, accessed October 24, 2019.
  12. ↑ Quentin Buvelot: Young Woman Feeding a Parrot . In: Arthur K. Wheelock (Ed.): The Leiden Collection Catalog , website of the Leiden Collection, accessed October 24, 2019.
  13. ^ Walter A. Liedtke and Arthur K. Wheelock: Young Woman Seated at a Virginal . In: Arthur K. Wheelock (Ed.): The Leiden Collection Catalog , website of the Leiden Collection, accessed October 24, 2019.
  14. ↑ Dominique Surh: Man with the Moneybag and Flatterers . In: Arthur K. Wheelock (Ed.): The Leiden Collection Catalog , website of the Leiden Collection, accessed October 24, 2019.
  15. ^ David de Witt and Arthur K. Wheelock: Portrait of Antonie Coopal . In: Arthur K. Wheelock (Ed.): The Leiden Collection Catalog , website of the Leiden Collection, accessed October 24, 2019.
  16. ↑ Dominique Surh: Hagar and the Angel . In: Arthur K. Wheelock (Ed.): The Leiden Collection Catalog , website of the Leiden Collection, accessed October 24, 2019.
  17. ↑ Ilona van Tuinen: Emperor Commodus as Hercules and as a Gladiator . In: Arthur K. Wheelock (Ed.): The Leiden Collection Catalog , website of the Leiden Collection, accessed October 24, 2019.
  18. ↑ Quentin Buvelot: Traveler at Rest . In: Arthur K. Wheelock (Ed.): The Leiden Collection Catalog , website of the Leiden Collection, accessed October 24, 2019.
  19. ^ Leonore van Sloten and Lara Yeager-Crasselt: Man with a Sword . In: Arthur K. Wheelock (Ed.): The Leiden Collection Catalog , website of the Leiden Collection, accessed October 24, 2019.
  20. ^ Lara Yeager-Crasselt: Bust of a Bearded Old Man . In: Arthur K. Wheelock (Ed.): The Leiden Collection Catalog , website of the Leiden Collection, accessed October 24, 2019.