EGMOND AAN ZEE – The Museum van Egmond on Zuiderstraat will open its doors every afternoon starting this weekend. Those who enter it will be surprised at the museum’s atmospheric metamorphosis. Newly discovered paintings of the Egmond School merge with the Derpers and village scenes that Roeland Koning painted so fantastically from 1924 onward, including the Egmond fisherwomen. The church that disappeared into the sea has been given a spectacular site. All of this breathes Derp, but not only that!
Museum van Egmond opens its doors on Saturday
By: Carla Kager
One of the new gems in the museum is the painting of a young girl seemingly looking at an Egmond neighborhood. The latter needed some figuring out, but Nico Visser of the Derper image archive on Facebook knew for sure. The phrase “this breathes Derp” is his.
Musschenbuurt or Mountain Street?
What is the girl looking at? Is it now the old Musschen neighborhood with a few artistic liberties taken by the painter or is it the head of Berg Street? Museum volunteer David Schaddenhorst, who discovered this painting, thinks first, but Ab Visser can name almost any house and is convinced it is the Bergstraat. Then again, we’ll figure that out. Anyone who knows more may say.
Egmond School
The painting is by the painter Otto Kirberg, who visited Egmond several times around 1896/1897 together with friends who also studied at the drawing academy in Düsseldorf such as George Hitchcock, Gari Melchers and Heinrich Heimes. From Heimes, the museum has a magnificent work on loan showing bomb barges on the beach.
The volunteers are again looking forward to welcoming people and also showing the new paintings by Paulus Gildemeester, Hendrik Hulk and Jacob Gruyter. All belong to the “Egmond School,” as do the panels behind the lifeboat. There, in addition, is a presentation on Gari Melchers and his Egmond models.
Other exhibits
Egmond aan Zee was founded more than 1,000 years ago by monks of the abbey. Later, the lords and counts of Egmont of the Slot op den Hoef ruled here. Thus the three Egmonden are connected, and the museum shows this in new ways. Upstairs by the clock are models of famous Egmond buildings and so on. The Exposition on Egmond in the 1940s – ’45s will remain under construction for one more season.
Information
Museum van Egmond, Zuiderstraat 7 Egmond aan Zee. Open from 30/4 to 31/10 every afternoon from 2 – 5 pm. Admission €4 – 4 to 17 years €2 including one of the museum quizzes. Free admission with museum or donor card. Wheelchair accessible.
