Exhibition: German Grobe, The Donation

The artist German Grobe (1857-1938) from Düsseldorf always felt a special connection with Katwijk. It is in 1887 that Grobe arrives in Katwijk for the first time. It will be a love that will last his lifetime. From 1888 onwards, Grobe and his family will visit the artists’ village many times. In 1937, when visiting Katwijk for the fiftieth time, the then 80-year-old painter is honoured with a serenade by the local Christian Music Association U.N.I. in front of ‘Zeerust’ Guesthouse. Katwijk’s warm hospitality is rewarded: in the autumn of 2024 the artist’s grandson Dietrich Bieber donates sixty-six paintings by his grandfather’s hand to the Katwijks Museum. The present exhibition comprises paintings, water colours and drawings from this donation.

Grobe paints life in this Dutch coastal village in broad perspective. All the themes typical for Katwijk are on full display in colourful, often impressionistic images, varying from seascapes and beach scenes, to the dunes and village views more inland. And we meet his beloved Katwijk people in countless portraits and figures.