Expositie ‘OPGEDOKEN! Verdronken meesterwerken tot leven gebracht’

From July 11 to September 27, you can view the exhibition ‘Opgedoken Drowned Masterpieces Brought to Life’ at the Noord-Veluws Kunstmuseum.

July 11 to September 27, 2026

Six Dutch masterpieces, lost in the sinking of the ship Vrouw Maria in 1771, serve as the inspiration for twenty contemporary artists who participated in the TV program De Gezonken Meesters (The Sunken Masters). Their work presents a contemporary interpretation of the vanished paintings by Gabriel Metsu, Gerard Dou, Paulus Potter, Gerard ter Borch, Adriaen van Ostade, and Philips Wouwerman.

From lost paintings to new interpretations

The Vrouw Maria was a Dutch merchant ship that sank off the coast of Finland in 1771 en route to Saint Petersburg. To this day, the ship still lies on the seabed, with several masterpieces by Dutch painters on board, such as Paulus Potter and Gerard Dou.

No one knows what these paintings look like, but descriptions on the inventory list allow us to form an idea. This scarce information formed the starting point for an artistic quest by the participating artists. They delved into the work and spirit of their 17th-century predecessors and brought their own vision to life, ranging from historicizing to surprisingly contemporary. The exhibition shows how diverse disciplines—from painting, photography, drawing, quilting, paper cutting, charcoal drawing to tufting—reinforce each other in a joint reinterpretation of the past.

Meeting between present and past

The 20 contemporary artists participating in the exhibition are Anneke Boers, Stephanie Beuker, Nicole Eigeman, Cath Faasse-Vang, Annet van Gaal, Karolien Hoogendoorn, Margo Houwing-Tabak, Marc Lamers, Hanno van Harten, Carolien van Oijen, Myrthe Polling, Astrid Ritskes, Mariëlle Rouwenhorst-Küper, Carin Sleurink-Backx, Marvin Damstra & Nina Teunisse, Carla Venekamp, Saskia Versluis-Hölscher, Petra Mwaro, Chelony Mercado and Jelle van de Ridder, the master painter in the group.

Their rich palette of disciplines, styles, and personal perspectives forms a contemporary dialogue between tradition and innovation, in which past and present meet in an inspiring way.

Check the website for more information.