The Bergen School

Solid brushstrokes and strong contrasts

Fans of the Bergen School movement are in for a treat at Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar. The permanent exhibition features highlights from the museum's Bergen School collection.

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Saturated colors, strong contrasts

Around 1910, the first artists settled in the North Holland dune village of Bergen. A few years later, the number of artists there had greatly increased and the very first expressionist artists' movement in the Netherlands emerged in Bergen. In saturated colors and strong contrasts, the artists of the Bergen School put their landscapes, portraits and still lifes on the canvas with great gesture in firm brushstrokes.

Comprehensive collection

Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar has an extensive collection of modern Dutch art from the period 1900-1955. This includes over 280 works created by artists who lived and worked in and around Bergen (NH). The permanent exhibition features highlights from the museum's Bergen School collection, combined with special loans from museum and private collections. There are regular changes in the gallery with works from storage or new acquisitions.

Colnot, Wiegman, Gestel

Virtually all painters from Bergen and the surrounding area are represented: Else Berg, Gerrit Willem van Blaaderen, Arnout Colnot, Bernard Essers, Dirk Filarski, Leo Gestel, Jan van Herwijnen, Henri ten Holt, Frans Huysmans, Germ de Jong, Harrie Kuyten, Mattheus Lau, Adriaan Lubbers, Charley Toorop, Jelle Troelstra, Jaap Weyand, Matthieu and Piet Wiegman. Also on display are fine Luminist and Cubist landscapes and still lifes from the period preceding the Bergen School: the years when art in the Netherlands gained momentum. This provides a representative picture of the genesis of North Holland expressionism.

Connoisseurs, collectors and enthusiasts

The Bergen School Circle consists of private collectors, connoisseurs and enthusiasts, each with a special interest in the Bergen School. The museum facilitates evenings full of exclusive knowledge where you can meet like-minded people. Thanks in part to your contribution, we can continue to expand and manage the Bergen School collection.