Donated works
Examples of private donations
Jewellery collection – Marjan and Gerard Unger
In 2009 and 2018 Marjan and Gerard Unger donated hundreds of items of jewellery to the Rijksmuseum. The bond between the Rijksmuseum and Marjan and Gerard Unger is strong. The pieces date from the period 1800-2017 and especially from 1850-1990. The collection includes work by former students of the Rietveld Academy and the Sandberg institute, award winning pieces from various international exhibitions, specially commissioned work and personal items of jewellery bought by the Ungers. This generous donation enables the Rijksmuseum to display a unique over-view of Dutch jewellery dating from the 8th century to modern times.
We are very grateful to Marjan and Gerard Unger for their extremely generous donation. This donation will further enrich the jewellery collections on display in the Rijksmuseum. Personal stories are an important part of the Rijksmuseum exhibits, and jewellery is a fine example of this because they’ve actually been worn.
Taco Dibbits, General Director, Rijksmuseum
Early photos by Robert Mapplethorpe – Hans van Manen and Henk van Dijk
In 2019 the choreographer Hans van Manen and his partner Henk van Dijk donated 24 works by the American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe to the Rijksmuseum. The donation consists of 21 photographs including a self-portrait, two portraits of Hans van Manen, homo-erotic work and three porcelain plates featuring photos of flowers. Until 2019 we had only one Mapplethorpe photo in the collection. This donation has helped raise the photography collection of the Rijksmuseum to a much higher level.
Donating these works now means I can enjoy doing so myself, in the knowledge that they will stay together for ever. I have been looking at them for 40 years; now other people will be able to enjoy them.
Hans van Manen
Hobbema – from the collection of W. Baron van Dedem, Richmond
In 2014 the Van Dedem family donated the painting ’Wooded Landscape with Merrymakers in a Cart’ (approx.1665) by the Dutch 17th century painter Meindert Hobbema. It was the biggest donation to the Rijksmuseum in 50 years. The exceptionally well-preserved landscape is one of the best paintings by one of the most famous Golden Age landscape painters. It was donated from the collection of W. Baron van Dedem, Richmond. Hobbema’s masterpiece is now a key part of the Rijksmuseum collection and is on display in the Gallery of Honour.
Rare inkpot – private donation
Thanks to a generous private donation, the Rijksmuseum collection includes the only known surviving carved medieval ink pot. This exceptional piece carved in yew originates from the southern Netherlands or Paris and dates from around 1380–1400.
The Rijksmuseum greatly appreciates such generous donations by private individuals, which allow us to acquire especially important pieces for the collection.
Taco Dibbits, General Director Rijksmuseum
