It is with deep sadness that CODART reports the passing of Lia Gorter on 5 July in Amsterdam, at the age of 84. Gorter was an art historian and the founder and director of the Foundation for Cultural Inventory (Stichting Cultureel Inventarisatiewerk, SCI) in Amsterdam.

Since founding the SCI in 1997, Lia Gorter has dedicated herself to opening up and documenting collections of Dutch and Flemish Masters in remote regions, including Eastern Europe, Russia, India, and Cuba. Under her direction, the foundation facilitated inventory projects, cataloging, and academic publications that allowed these lesser-known collections to be integrated into mainstream art-historical research. In 2022, she received a decoration from the City of Amsterdam on the occasion of the SCI’s 25th anniversary, in recognition of her many years of commitment to researching and promoting Dutch art.

Shortly after the foundation of her own organization, Gorter joined the newly established CODART. Particularly in the early years of our network, the contacts she established for us in Eastern Europe proved to be of great value to the further success of CODART, for which we remain grateful. Her contributions to the documentation of Dutch art remain an important resource for museums and art historians from all over the world. CODART extends its deepest condolences to her family and loved ones.

On the SCI website, Chairman Teun van Hellenberg Hubar shares an In Memoriam, honoring her life and celebrating her pivotal role within the Foundation.