Friends Activities
The Friends of CODART Foundation organizes special activities, such as a museum visit for all Friends and the Patrons Salon for major benefactors.
Upcoming Activities
28 November 2024 – Friends Afternoon at PAN Podium
More information will follow soon. For now: save the date!
26 January 2025 – BRAFA Day for Friends
Save the date!
15 March 2025 – Patrons Salon at TEFAF Maastricht
Save the date!
For more information please feel free to contact us at friends@codart.nl.
Previous Activities
9 March 2024 – Patrons Salon at TEFAF Maastricht
Old Masters & Young Audiences
The Patrons Salon was dedicated to the theme Old Masters & Young Audiences. Many museums with collections of Old Masters grapple with the question of how to attract and interest young audiences in this type of art. The same issue is relevant for dealers in old art. We are thrilled that Nienke van der Wal (Young Collectors Circle), Geert-Jan Janse (Vereniging Rembrandt), Sander Bijl (Bijl-Van Urk) and Edouard Dumolin (collector) agreed to share their views on this topic, expertly moderated by Christi Klinkert (Frans Hals Museum). Find the full invitation and program here.
28 January 2024 – BRAFA Day for Friends
This years’ BRAFA Day for Friends included a tour of the fair with a BRAFA Ambassador, who showed his eye-catchers, and the Art Talk by Hannah Thijs, Head of Collections & Exhibitions at Museum Hof van Busleyden in Mechelen. She spoke about the reinstallation of the permanent collection and explained the challenges the museum faced in this process, as well as the choices and concerns made that led to the new concept and design.
23 November 2023 – Friends Afternoon at PAN Amsterdam
Power of the Portrait
The Friends of CODART hosted an afternoon on PAN Podium at art fair PAN Amsterdam, with talks all focusing on the theme of portraiture. The afternoon was kicked off by a conversation between Martine Lambrechtsen, Old Masters specialist and board member of the Friends of CODART Foundation, and Charles Mackay of Weiss Gallery, about dealing in Old Master portraits. Subsequently, two CODART members shared stories about current exhibition and research projects related to portraiture. Koen Bulckens, curator at KMSKA in Antwerp, spoke about the recently opened exhibition Turning Heads, which focuses on the tronie. Angela Jager, curator at the RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History informed us about her research into a family portrait by Cornelis de Vos, which was reunited thanks to her art historical detective work. The afternoon was concluded with drinks, and access to the Private Art Evening.
11 March 2023 – Patrons Salon at TEFAF Maastricht
Curators and Conservators: Challenges and Dilemmas in Conservation Practice
During the annual Patrons Salon at TEFAF Maastricht, three speakers reflected on the topic of dilemmas in restoration practice. Uta Neidhardt, Caroline van der Elst and Anne van Oosterwijk each shared their experiences with an interesting case study. Manfred Sellink moderated the discussion. Find the full program and invitation here.
29 January 2023 – BRAFA Day for Friends
The BRAFA Day for Friends included a tour of the fair with a BRAFA Ambassador, who will show his or her eye-catchers, and the Art Talk, presented this year by Frederica Van Dam, about Theodoor Rombouts: Virtuoso of Flemish Caravaggism.
8 December 2022 – Online event: Coffee with a Curator
Alexandra Libby about Vermeer’s Secrets at the National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art in Washington took advantage of the museum’s COVID-related closures in 2020/2021 to examine the museum’s four paintings by and attributed to Johannes Vermeer. The results of that research are now presented in the exhibition Vermeer’s Secrets. Curator Alexandra Libby shared more information on the research findings and the making of the exhibition.
24 November 2022 – Friends Afternoon at PAN Amsterdam
CODART, Curators, and Collectors
The Friends of CODART hosted an afternoon on PAN Podium at art fair PAN Amsterdam. Many of the museum collections curators care for, have their origin in private collections. In three lectures, CODART members reflected on collecting Dutch and Flemish art, in the past and present. Iris Ellers and Thera Folmer-von Oven discussed the Liberna collection and how it found its way to a public museum. Robert Fucci spoke about the Sheldon and Leena Peck collection and its current exhibition Drawn to Life. Quentin Buvelot dove into the exhibition Manhattan Masters: Ten Masterpieces from the Frick Collection at the Mauritshuis in The Hague. The afternoon was concluded by drinks and access to the exclusive private art evening.
20 October 2022 – Online event: Coffee with a Curator
Pieter Roelofs about the Vermeer exhibition at the Rijksmuseum
In 2023 the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam will host the largest Vermeer exhibition ever. This exhibition will bring together 27 paintings by Vermeer, the lion’s share of his oeuvre, which consists of 35 works in total. As his paintings are generally considered the most prized treasures of every museum collection, Vermeer paintings are rarely lent out, making this a unique exhibition.
25 June 2022 – Patrons Salon at TEFAF Maastricht
Rubens vs. Rembrandt
In this years’ Patrons Salon three panelists (Nils Büttner, chairman of the Centrum Rubenianum, Koen Bulckens, Curator at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, and Jaco Rutgers, independent researcher) discussed the differences and similarities in research on the oeuvres of Rubens and Rembrandt in a conversation moderated by Gary Schwartz. Futhermore, Michael Kwakkelstein, professor of Art History at Utrecht University and director of the NIKI in Florence, presented the latest volume of the Corpus Rubenianum on anatomical studies. The Patrons Salon was organized in cooperation with the Rubenianum Fund and TEFAF. Find more information about the program in the invitation. An account of the meeting can be found in the 2022 Newsletter.
18 June 2022 – BRAFA Day for Friends
The BRAFA Day for Friends included a tour of the fair and the Art Talk by Micha Leeflang, curator at the Catharijneconvent in Utrecht, on the upcoming exhibition From Antwerp to Amsterdam – Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century Painting.
24 March 2022 – Online event: Coffee with a Curator
Christien Melzer about Maarten van Heemskerck’s sketchbooks in Berlin
The Kupferstichkabinett Berlin owns two famous albums by Maarten van Heemskerck (1498-1574). They contain around 160 drawings from several sketchbooks that the artist made during his stay in Rome between 1532 and 1537. Due to an urgently needed conservation measure, one of the two albums must be unbound. This opens up the unique opportunity to present the double-sided sheets individually and in their entirety. At the same time, material analysis will be carried out to better understand the creation, the drawing process and the handling of the sheets. The drawings are complemented by paintings and engraving series created in Rome and after Heemskerck’s return to his home in Haarlem, as well as by sculptures and casts based on antique originals which he drew.
24 February 2022 – Online event: Coffee with a Curator
Jeroen van der Vliet about Willem van de Velde & Son at the Scheepvaartmuseum
The exhibition reveals how the Van de Veldes built a flourishing international business founded on artistic talent and commercial insight. Rising to the pinnacle of the seventeenth-century world of marine art, father and son Van de Velde made a huge artistic impact. The show presents a detailed picture of the Van de Velde family business, their expertise in maritime art and their extraordinary creative skill.
27 January 2022 – Online event: Coffee with a Curator
Ariane van Suchtelen about In Full Bloom, an exhibition celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Mauritshuis
Blooming tulips, roses and all those other flower species – it seems such a natural subject for art. Still, the flower still life did not appear in Dutch and Flemish painting until after 1600. Colorful bouquets and a preference for exotic flower varieties characterize the genre, as does a high degree of perfection in execution. Precision, rarity and variety – this is how the flower painters achieved great success, not only in the Netherlands but with art lovers all over Europe. The rise of the flower still life in the seventeenth century was closely intertwined with the botanical discoveries of the time – the first tulips bloomed in the Leiden hortus. Art, nature and science went hand in hand and various female artists caused a furore in floral art.
11 November 2021 – Online event: Coffee with a Curator
Hanna Klarenbeek about the renovations of Het Loo Palace
For 300 years, Het Loo Palace was the summer residence of the Dutch Royal family. It was turned into a museum in 1984 and it welcomed many visitors from in and outside the Netherlands ever since. After 30 years, major maintenance was needed to the building and the palace closed its doors in 2018. Simultaneously, an underground expansion was undertaken. In April 2022 the palace will be open once again. Curator Hanna Klarenbeek told us more about the renovation and expansion of the palace and the process of redecorating the many rooms.
4 November 2021: festive presentation of the Canon project in The Hague
14 October 2021 – Online event: Coffee with a Curator
Robert Fucci about the Sheldon Peck Collection at the Ackland Art Museum
Sheldon and Leena Peck assembled a significant collection of seventeenth-century Dutch drawings over the course of forty years that they donated to the Ackland Art Museum in 2017, a major portion of which will be exhibited in Chapel Hill and Amsterdam in 2022-23. Robert Fucci presented some highlights of the collection, and previewed some notable research discoveries and re-attributions that will appear in the catalogue.
11 October 2021 – Friends Afternoon at Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar
The afternoon included an exclusive visit to the exhibition Allart van Everdingen (1621-1675) – The Rugged Landscape, with curator and board member of the Friends of CODART Foundation Christi Klinkert.
26 August 2021 – Online event: Coffee with a Curator
Sander Paarlberg about In the light of Cuyp: Aelbert Cuyp & Gainsborough – Constable – Turner
Curator Sander Paarlberg of the Dordrechts Museum spoke about the exhibition In the light of Cuyp. Aelbert Cuyp & Gainsborough – Constable – Turner, which opens on 3 October at the Dordrechts Museum. The talk focussed on several acquisitions made in relation to the exhibition.
29 July 2021 – Online event: Coffee with a Curator
Renske Cohen Tervaert about Aged well – Three Centuries of Drawings from the Kröller-Müller Collection
It is little known that apart from contemporary art Helene Kröller-Müller also collected old master drawings. A selection of these will feature in an exhibition at the museum, opening on 4 December 2021. Several of the drawings will be shown for the first time in the history of the museum. Curator Renske Cohen Tervaert told us more about these drawings and the research preceding the exhibition.
8 July 2021 – Online event: Coffee with a Curator
Christi Klinkert about Allart van Everdingen (1621-1675) – The Rugged Landscape
In this online talk Christi Klinkert, curator at Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar and board member of the Friends of CODART, gave a glimpse into the preparations for the exhibition Allart van Everdingen (1621-1675) – The Rugged Landscape, which will open on 18 September 2021. The presentation was followed by a Q&A.
28 October 2020 – Webinar Reassessing Rembrandt in the Mauritshuis
On Wednesday 28 October 2020 the Friends of CODART and the American Friends of the Mauritshuis jointly organize the webinar Reassessing Rembrandt in the Mauritshuis. Martine Gosselink, Director, and Quentin Buvelot, Senior Curator, will dive deep into the most recent art historical thinking about the work of Rembrandt van Rijn in the permanent collection of the Mauritshuis. With a total of 11 autograph paintings by the master and another 7 that entered the collection as Rembrandts but are now considered to be from his circle, the presentations will explore the perennial question of authorship, highlight new insights brought about by restorations in the last 25 years, and reveal the important role science and conservation have played in defining Rembrandt’s oeuvre.
7 March 2020 – Patrons Salon Maastricht
Changing Perspectives
This year’s theme, Changing Perspectives, was discussed by Lea van der Vinde, curator at the Mauritshuis in The Hague, Epco Runia, Head of Collections at Museum Het Rembrandthuis in Amsterdam and Richard Kofi, artist, curator and programmer at Bijlmerpark Theater in Amsterdam. The morning was moderated by Ann Demeester, director of the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem. More information and the full program can be found here. A report of the Salon can be found in the Newsletter. An account of the gathering, written by our Patron Zuzana Paternostro, was also published in the Brazilian journal ABCA, find it here.
31 January 2020 – BRAFA Day for Friends
The second BRAFA Day for Friends took place on Friday 31 January 2020. It included a tour of the fair by Luc Bertrand and a BRAFA Art Talk about Jan van Eyck by Till-Holger Borchert, Director of Musea Brugge. Please read more about the program in the invitation. A video recording of the lecture, produced by Biapal, can be found here.
6 December 2019 – Friends Afternoon at Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden
The RKD Friends Society and Friends of CODART Foundation organized an afternoon for Friends at the recently renewed Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden, which included a visit to the exhibition Young Rembrandt – Rising Star and a lecture by curator Christiaan Vogelaar.
16 March 2019 – Patrons Salon Maastricht
Real or Fake? Questions of Authenticity
During the Patrons Salon, which took place during TEFAF Maastricht 2019, Dr. Robert van Langh (Chair at NICAS (Netherlands Institute for Conservation, Art and Science), Head of Conservation and Restoration at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and a member of the TEFAF Vetting Committee), Emilie den Tonkelaar (Old Master specialist at the art dealership Hoogsteder&Hoogsteder) and David Lainé (Senior Partner Painting Conservation and Research at IPARC, the International Platform for Art Research and Conservation) expressed their views on the technical examination of materials in relation to questions of authenticity and its relevance for private collectors. Their presentations sparked a lively discussion amongst attending Patrons and Business Sponsors, moderated by Mireille Pondman (director of the RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History). More information can be found in the invitation.
1 February 2019 – BRAFA Day for Friends
BRAFA and the Friends of CODART Foundation organized an exclusive day for our Friends that took place for the first time on Friday, 1 February 2019 in Brussels. The day included a guided tour of the fair and a BRAFA Art Talk on Bruegel by Prof. dr. Manfred Sellink, General Director and Head Curator of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Please read more about the program in the invitation.
10 March 2018 – Patrons Salon Maastricht
To Share or Not to Share My Private Collection
All Business Sponsors, Patrons and those interested in supporting the Friends of CODART Foundation in the future were invited to attend the Patrons Salon that took place on Saturday morning 10 March 2018 during TEFAF at the MECC in Maastricht. The theme of this meeting was ‘To Share or Not to Share My Private Collection.’ For more information you may download the invitation here, or read a more detailed report in the Newsletter.
11 March 2017 – Patrons Salon Maastricht
Old Masters – Old Fashioned?
That was the question at the heart of the Patrons Salon that took place on Saturday, March 11th during TEFAF in Maastricht. Bendor Grosvenor (art dealer, art historian, blogger), Stijn Alsteens (former curator of the Metropolitan Museum, New York, now attached to Christie’s), and Titia Vellenga (collector and chair of the board of the Friends of CODART Foundation) introduced the subject, after which an animated debate, moderated by Anna Tummers, curator of Old Masters at the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, took place with a packed audience of Patrons and special guests. Download the invitation for more information: Invitation Patrons Salon 2017, or find a more in-depth report in the Newsletter.
2 December 2016 – Presentation of the new CODART website
On this afternoon, CODART Members and Friends were invited to the festive inauguration of CODART’s new website at the Frans Hals Museum. The presentation took place during the exhibition Dutch Old Masters from Budapest: Highlights from the Szépmüvészeti Múzeum, which featured over 80 works by Dutch Old Masters from one of the finest museum collections in the world. The event concluded with a festive reception in the museum. The 2016 website renewal project was funded by grants from the Mondriaan Fund, the Dioraphte Foundation, and the Friends of CODART Foundation.
24 March 2016 – Friends Afternoon at the Rockox House Antwerp
During this afternoon friends were taken on a tour through the exhibition Power Flower by Nico Van Hout, Curator at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp. Also, Hildegard Van de Velde, Curator at the Rockox House, guided the group through the intimate museum. And last but not least, Manfred Sellink, Director of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, gave a presentation about the major renovations taking place at the museum at this moment. All participants were treated to a festive reception afterwards.
12 March 2016 – Patrons Salon Maastricht
On Saturday morning 12 March the Patrons Salon took place during TEFAF in Maastricht. Framing specialists Michael Gregory (Arnold Wiggins & Sons, London) and Guy Sainthill (Sainthill Frames, Haarlem) spoke about this subject under the guidance of Quentin Buvelot, Senior Curator at the Mauritshuis. Download the invitation for more information: Invitation Patrons Salon 2016
11-17 October 2015 – Study Trip to the Midwest, USA
From 11-17 October 2015, CODART traveled to the Midwest, USA. This study trip was open to both Members and Patrons of CODART. Within one week the CODART bus took us to fascinating collections of Dutch and Flemish art in museums in Detroit, Toledo, Oberlin, Cleveland, Dayton, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Chicago. Yao-Fen You, Associate Curator of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts and George Keyes, former Curator of European Paintings, both at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), helped with creating an interesting program. George also traveled along with the twenty Members and ten Patrons that registered and provided valuable background information about the museums and the region. For more information about the study trip click here.
14 March 2015 – Patrons Salon Maastricht
Oh My! – A Loan Request!
A CODART Patrons Salon with Willem Baron van Dedem, Leonore van Sloten and Bart-Jan Kastrop. Moderator: Pieter Roelofs
Read more information about this meeting in the invitation. Or read a full report in the Friends Newsletter, Summer 2015.
17 December 2014 – Friends Museum Visit The Hague
Connoisseurship: Bredius, Jan Steen and the Mauritshuis in Museum Bredius in The Hague
The participants were welcomed by John Hoogsteder, who gave an interesting introduction to the exhibition and Museum Bredius. After this, the group was offered the opportunity to view the exhibition and the museum by themselves. The afternoon was festively concluded at Museum Bredius’ neighbor: art dealer Hoogsteder & Hoogsteder. Willem Jan Hoogsteder, one of CODART’s first Patrons, and his staff treated us to drinks and a tour.
16-17 October 2014 – Friends event New York
Grand Design: Pieter Coecke van Aelst and Renaissance Tapestry
This event was open to CODART Patrons and to all those who wanted to become acquainted with CODART and what it offers its benefactors. The Friends visited the private collection of Mr. and Mrs. Zukerman, followed by a private viewing of the Pieter Coecke van Aelst exhibition in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the evening dinner was offered by the Consul General of Belgium at his residence. In the early morning of 17 October the Friends were invited to visit the collection of Dutch and Flemish Old Masters in The Frick Collection.
15 March 2014 – Patrons Salon Maastricht
The Collector and the Connoisseur
The Brian Capstick Collection is one of the finest private collections of seventeenth-century Dutch still lifes in the world. From an early point in his collecting career, the entrepreneur Brian Capstick started to seek advice from Dr Sam Segal, who is both a biologist and an expert in still lifes. As a connoisseur, Sam Segal helped Brian Capstick recognize the quality of paintings, which has been very valuable for him. It is great to see that they have become very close friends over the years. We organized a public interview with Brian Capstick and Sam Segal. Dr Adriaan Waiboer, CODART member and Curator of Northern European Art at the National Gallery in Dublin, discussed different topics with our speakers , like ‘What role can a connoisseur play in making these choices?’ and ‘Are connoisseurs necessarily good advisors?’. A separate interview with Brian Capstick has been published in the CODART eZine in the summer of 2014.
12 December 2013 – Friends Museum Visit Haarlem
The 100 Most Beautiful Rembrandts
On 12 December 2013 the Friends of CODART and Friends of the RKD visited Teylers Museum in Haarlem. Michiel Plomp, Chief Curator of the art collections, gave an interesting lecture on the appreciation of Rembrandt’s work. After this, everyone was free to admire Rembrandt’s wonderful drawings and etchings. The exhibition showed 100 of the most beautiful drawings and etchings by the master taken out of the museum’s storage rooms for the occasion. We ended this special afternoon with drinks in Café Stempels.
16 March 2013 – Patrons Salon Maastricht
This year’s topic was the Maida and George Abrams Collection, which is one of the finest private collections of seventeenth-century Dutch drawings in the world. George Abrams, who formed this collection with his late wife Maida, told us about his experiences with the evolving art market over his fifty-year collecting career, and his successful cooperation with museums. Dr. Peter C. Sutton, executive director and chief executive officer of the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut, discussed their cooperation from the museum director’s point of view. Susan Anderson shared her experiences as private curator of the Maida and George Abrams Collection.
19 December 2012 – Amsterdam Museum
On 19 December 2012 the Friends of CODART and Friends of the RKD also visited Amsterdam, where they attended a lecture and special viewing of the exhibition The Golden Age, birthplace of our world at the Amsterdam Museum. This enjoyable afternoon ended with drinks in the museum café.
17 March 2012 – Patrons Salon in Maastricht
In March 2012 the first Patrons Salon, titled Looking through a microscope, took place during TEFAF at the Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg (SRAL) in Maastricht. Dr. Ron Spronk, Professor of Art History at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada and Affiliate Professor (Hieronymus Bosch and Early-Netherlandish Painting) at the Radboud University in Nijmegen gave a lecture. He illustrated recent developments by discussing his work on the famous Ghent altarpiece The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb by the Van Eyck brothers. After his lecture the CODART Patrons were given a tour of the SRAL.
15 December 2011 – Visit to the Rembrandt House Museum Amsterdam
In December 2011 the Friends of CODART invited its own Friends and the Friends of the RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History) to the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam, where they attended a lecture given by the director of the museum and were given a private tour of In Rembrandt’s Footsteps: Dutch Paintings from a Private Collection by both the director and the curator of the exhibition.