Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof - Sea Anemones

Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof (1866–1924)

Sea Anemones

Oil on canvas

26 × 26 cm

Frame: 29 × 29 cm

Provenance:

Kunsthandel Frans Buffa & Zonen, Kalverstraat, Amsterdam; Kunsthandel E.J. van Wisselingh & Co., Amsterdam/London/Haarlem, 23 February 1922; private collection Jan Michiel Pieter Glerum, Amsterdam, 8 July 1922; Mak van Waay, Amsterdam, 26 September 1933; private collection of art historian Prof. Dr Albert Blankert, The Hague.

Literature:

W. Weyland, J.M.P. Glerum (1879–1930): verzamelaar en investeerder in kunst, Amsterdam, 1994.

Listed in the RKD database.

Condition:

In excellent condition.

Additional information:

Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof studied at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague and the School of Arts and Crafts in Amsterdam. In Amsterdam, he became friends with artists including Isaac Israëls and Jan Veth. He developed into a versatile artist with a particular interest in nature and decorative arts. The influence of the Arts and Crafts movement of William Morris and Walter Crane can be seen in his designs for book bindings, furniture, textiles and glass.

Artis held a special place in Dijsselhof’s work. As a member of the Natura Artis Magistra society, he regularly visited the Amsterdam zoo. The new aquariums, opened in 1882, particularly fascinated him. He spent many afternoons there studying the underwater world, from fish and aquatic plants to sea anemones. The aquarium allowed him to observe and capture nature with great precision.

In Sea Anemones, Dijsselhof depicts several colourful anemones that he studied in the aquarium at Artis. The dark background brings out the vivid red, yellow and orange tones of the anemones.

From 1897 onwards, Dijsselhof designed furniture for the Amsterdam firm E.J. van Wisselingh & Co. He married the textile artist Willy Keuchenius and remained active throughout his career at the intersection of fine art and decorative arts. He died in Overveen.