More than 200 years of Kunstliefde

On 21 June 2026, the first copy of the three-volume lexicon, compiled by Jaap Röell, was presented at the Centraal Museum. Röell served as chairman of Kunstliefde from 2006 to 2012 and worked on this extensive project for around twelve years. The result is a richly detailed reference work on visual artists who were associated with Kunstliefde between 1807 and 2007.

The lexicon brings together hundreds of artists, from major names to makers who long remained out of the spotlight. This makes it not only a book about Kunstliefde, but also a new resource for the history of Utrecht’s art scene. The publication reveals just how many stories, networks and works of art lie behind a single artists’ association. Over the coming years, the information will be expanded and refined, with the ultimate aim of incorporating the lexicon into the digital records of the RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History.

The relationship between Kunstliefde and the Centraal Museum goes back a long way. In 1807, artists in Utrecht founded a modern drawing society, later known as Genootschap Kunstliefde. It was a place where professional artists and amateurs could hone their skills, exhibit their work and discuss art with one another.

During the same period, various initiatives emerged in Utrecht to make art and heritage accessible to a wider audience. These developments eventually led to the establishment of the Centraal Museum in 1838 as Utrecht’s municipal museum. Both institutions shared a similar ambition: to collect, exhibit and promote art. Kunstliefde pursued this aim through the artists’ society itself, organising exhibitions and building its own art collection, among other activities.

In 1873, Kunstliefde opened a museum of its own. When the museum ceased to exist in the twentieth century, a significant part of its collection eventually found its way to the Centraal Museum. Many Utrecht artists whose work is now represented in the Centraal Museum’s collection, including Dick Bruna, were once members of Kunstliefde. Their work tells not only the stories of individual artists, but also that of a society that has played an important role in Utrecht’s art scene for more than two hundred years.

Today, Kunstliefde is based on Nobelstraat, where it continues to bring artists and the public together.

To mark the publication of the Lexicon Kunstliefde, in Collectie Centraal we are shining a special spotlight on artists who are or were associated with the Utrecht society. Among the works on display is the poster Toon van Ham designed around 1943 to promote the Centraal Museum.

Dick Bruna’s studio features posters he designed for Kunstliefde, including the colourful design celebrating the society’s 150th anniversary in 1957. Artists such as Margaretha Cornelia Boellaard, Otto van Rees and Erika Visser are also highlighted, illustrating the profound influence Kunstliefde has had—and continues to have—on Utrecht’s art scene.

In addition, the collection presentation includes extra works by Surrealists who were associated with Kunstliefde, including Willem van Leusden and Gerrit van ’t Net. In Collectie Centraal, these artworks are marked with the label ‘Member of the Kunstliefde Society’.

Het nieuwe lexicon maakt duidelijk hoe sterk Kunstliefde, het Centraal Museum en Utrechtse kunstenaars met elkaar verbonden zijn. Voor het museum vormt het een waardevolle aanvulling op bestaande kennis: het brengt namen, werken en verhalen samen, vult informatie aan en opent de deur naar kunstenaars die nog minder bekend zijn.