Zandvoorts Museum enriches collection with unique acquisition by Willy Sluiter

The Zandvoorts Museum has added a remarkable acquisition to its collection: a painting by the Dutch artist Willy Sluiter (1873–1949). The work, created around 1890, depicts a lively beach scene with pinks (bomschuiten) and forms a valuable addition to the narrative of Zandvoort’s coastal history.

The painting was donated by a private collector, in whose family the work has been preserved since 1978. At the time, it was purchased from the art dealership Les Beaux Arts in The Hague. With this donation, the work is preserved for the public and is given a meaningful place within the museum collection.

“For years I wondered what ‘ZV’ meant, until I found the answer in the Zandvoorts Museum itself. That made the choice to donate the work here very natural.”

The personal story behind the donation is particularly special. For a long time, the collector wondered what the registration letters “ZV” on the painting stood for. Well-known designations such as “KW” for Katwijk and “SCH” for Scheveningen were recognizable, but “ZV” remained a mystery for a long time. During a recent visit to the Zandvoorts Museum, the penny dropped: the same letters appeared on two paintings in the collection, immediately establishing the link to Zandvoort.

The donor had been considering placing the work with a museum for some time and initially thought of Katwijk. Due to the already extensive collection of Sluiter’s works there, and the desire to prevent the painting from disappearing into storage, another destination was eventually sought. The deciding factor was the story on the Zandvoorts Museum website about the 1889 painting by Hendrik Hulk, which is considered one of the last visual testimonies of active fishing in Zandvoort. Sluiter’s work, painted around 1890, aligns perfectly with this.

Willy Sluiter

Willy Sluiter is known for his accessible and lively depictions of Dutch coastal life around 1900. He worked in places such as Katwijk and Scheveningen, where he captured fishermen, pinks, and daily beach life. His work serves as a visual chronicle of a period when fishing still took place directly from the beach. Although Sluiter is primarily associated with other coastal towns, the subject of this painting is closely linked to the history of Zandvoort. Here, too, pinks and beach fishing defined the scene for a long time. The addition of this work offers a valuable broadening of the historical perspective within the collection.

The Zandvoorts Museum is delighted to be able to add a work by Willy Sluiter to its collection for the first time with this donation. The painting offers visitors a new perspective on historical coastal life and strengthens the narrative of Zandvoort as a fishing village.

The painting is now on display in the Spotlight in the main hall.