In 2024, the Fondation Custodia wishes to pay tribute to Ger Luijten with the exhibition A passionate eye. Twelve years of acquisitions by Ger Luijten, which highlights his many acquisitions that have enriched the collection in a wide range of fields, often in unexpected ways. The exhibition runs from 27 April to 7 July 2024.
Ger Luijten directed the Fondation Custodia for twelve years, from June 2010 until his untimely death in December 2022. During this time, he put his experience and his keen eye at the service of the institution, leading a dynamic and original acquisition policy.
Samuel van Hoogstraten (1627-1678), A Self-portrait of the Young Artist Drawing at an Open Window, inscribed recto: Samuel van Hoogstraten and verso: Samuel van Hoogstraten fecit, pen and brown ink and brown wash, with black and red chalk, 17 x 13.5 cm Fondation Custodia, coll. Frits Lugt, Paris
Some of the 10.000 works that were acquired since 2010 have already been presented to the public in exhibitions, while others will be displayed for the first time in this exhibition. Visitors are invited to discover this remarkable collection through different themes, which are organized by technique: drawings, prints, paintings, oil studies, letters and manuscripts, contemporary artists.
The diversity of the works testifies to Ger Luijten’s great curiosity. While the Dutch and Flemish schools are well represented, Danish drawings stand alongside British prints, a German drawing and a Spanish sketch. Famous names are shown alongside lesser-known or even anonymous artists, all united by the idiosyncratic, poetic taste that animated Ger Luijten’s choices.