This watercolor by Willy Sluiter is a donation to the Zandvoorts Museum from a private collection.
The watercolor depicts several ‘bomschuiten’ (pinken) on the beach at Zandvoort. The original owner reached this conclusion after a visit to the Zandvoorts Museum while examining the markings on the sails in the painting. These vessels were marked on their sails; for Zandvoort, this was ‘ZV’. The watercolor was painted en plein air (on-site) in Zandvoort. The drawing was executed quickly, with a rapid graphite sketch followed by loose brushstrokes of watercolor paint.
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 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 currently on display in the Spotlight in the main hall.