Information
The collection of Dutch and Flemish art in the Kulturhistorischen Museum of the Hanseatic and University town Rostock is very diverse. It ranges from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century and includes all genres. Unlike the Schwerin collection, which originates from the Mecklenburg dukes’ passion for collecting, this collection is signified by important citizens of the city. In 1841, merchants, doctors, lawyers and professors co-founded the Kunstverein (art association) to “refine and disseminate the sense of beauty”. In 1852, the Association for the foundation, increase and preservation of an art collection for the city of Rostock was founded, followed by the museum in 1859. From the start Dutch and Flemish paintings of the nineteenth century were predominant with works by Jakob Willem Gruijter, Nicaise de Keyser, Pieter Kluyver, Pieter Laar and Nicolaes Verkolje. Thanks to generous gifts, the graphics collection grew continuously. Highlights are prints from the seventeenth century by Rembrandt, Anthony van Dyck, and Adriaen van Ostade. The collection of seventeenth-century paintings was enriched and expanded with long-term loans from the University of Rostock. Since 1858 the “Schünemann bequest” – with works by Barent Gael and Gerrit Dou, and since 1937 a rare forest floor still life by Rachel Ruysch – is shown in the museum. After World War II, works by Gillis van Coninxloo (III), Jan Brueghel the Younger, and Salomon van Ruysdael were also acquired for the collection.
Dr. Susanne Knuth, Curator of Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture (May 2020)
Collection catalogues
Begleitheft zur Rostocker Niederländer-Sammlung. Niederländische Malerei und Grafik
edited by Johann Joachim Bernitt
Rostock 1980
Niederländische Malerei, Grafik und Kunsthandwerk. Bestände des Kulturhistorischen Museums Rostock
edited by Johann Joachim Bernitt
Rostock 1966