Endless Curiosity: Dutch collectors present post-1989 Czech art in Prague exhibition
A unique private collection of post-1989 Czech contemporary art is now on show in Prague's Magnus Art Gallery. Titled Endless Curiosity, the exhibition features a selection of works gathered over more than three decades by a Dutch couple who made the Czech capital their home. Ruth Fraňková went to the opening.
The Sublime Hyacinth Collection, assembled by Yvette van Dishoeck and Boudewijn Jansen, traces thirty years of Czech art after 1989 — a period when the local art scene was rebuilding itself and the gallery system was only just beginning to take shape.
Although Yvette and Boudewijn are both from the Netherlands, they met here in Prague in 1993. Yvette was conducting research for her master’s thesis, while Boudewijn was on sabbatical. They fell in love — with the city and with each other — and eventually bought a house in the historic centre.
As Boudewijn explains, it was the renovation of that house that sparked the beginning of their collection:
"The reason we started collecting was actually connected to the renovation of our house. It was a large renovation that lasted a couple of years, and we said to ourselves that we were not going to spend the whole day talking to the construction company."
"So we decided to go to the Museum of Modern Art and asked the curator to introduce us to the three best painters in the country. He did so in the mid-1990s, and from each painter we bought two pieces. That is how it started."
Those three painters were Tomáš Císařovský, Jan Merta and Martin Meiner. What began with six works gradually developed into a collection that today comprises nearly two hundred pieces, predominantly large-format paintings.
In the early 1990s, however, there were very few galleries in Prague. The couple often visited artists directly in their studios. One key figure at the beginning was Tomáš Císařovský, who helped them navigate the local art scene and overcome the language barrier, says Yvette:
"He is something like the godfather of the art scene here. He knows everybody. We did not know that at the beginning, but he really did. He spoke some English, we spoke some Czech, we shared some slivovice — and somehow we understood each other. He introduced us to the next artist, and then to the next one. Gradually, people became familiar with us. That is how we began."
Collecting in those early years was not simply about acquiring artworks, says Boudewijn. It required patience and trust at a time when relationships between artists and galleries were still very fragile.
"At the beginning, many artists did not trust galleries. The relationship between artists and the public had to be rebuilt. We needed to build relationships with them, and that is what we tried to do. We invited them to our house, we visited them, and gradually you start to feel comfortable with each other. Only then can you really begin collecting."
"We never went into an atelier and immediately started buying. You come back, you build a relationship. The most important thing is trust. If we say we pay on Monday, we pay on Monday. If we promise to pay on the first of the next month, we do so."
Among the works currently on display is also a striking cycle dedicated to St. Nicholas Church in Malá Strana — a building the couple see every day from their home just off Charles Bridge, says Boudewijn:
"I was very impressed by this church. We live on Mostecká Street and if you look out of our window, you can see it. One day we said to each other, why don’t we have this church painted?"
"We chose a large format, 240 by 200 centimetres, and asked several painters to create their own versions. They accepted the request, and the result is wonderful. The five paintings are completely different, even though they all depict the same building. That is amazing, and we are very happy with it."
The name Sublime Hyacinth, meanwhile, refers to the collection itself — and has a personal origin, he says:
"I have three first names: Boudewijn, Wilhelmus, Hyacinthus. Hyacinthus is the third one. Ten years ago, I received Czech nationality, and in the Czech Republic people are allowed to have only two first names. So the third one, Hyacinth, disappeared. I promised myself that Hyacinth would come back, and it would come back strongly."
“And it is Dutch, connected with flowers, so we thought it was a very nice combination of something personal and something Dutch."
It was that same spirit of openness and constant searching that led them to suggest the title of the exhibition — Endless Curiosity, both collectors say:
"Endless Curiosity is something you need, not only in this country but everywhere. To collect, you must remain curious. If curiosity disappears, it is finished. You always have to wonder what is going on."
"If you have curiosity within you, you can be an artist, but you can also be a collector. It reflects our spirit. We are always wondering, always wanting to discover something new. Only recently, we bought a sofa for our home. We are never sitting still; we are always busy, writing, looking, calling, visiting artists. That is curiosity."
Because of the scale of the Sublime Hyacinth Collection, the exhibition is being presented in two waves, offering visitors a glimpse into three decades of Czech contemporary art from a rarely seen outside perspective.
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