Birds of paradise of the Haagse Kunstkring in the 19th century fin de siècle.

Willem Leuring: Art collector, patron and member of the Haagse Kunstkring

Some members of the Haagse Kunstkring have had a lasting influence on the art world. Willem Jan Hendrik Leuring (1864-1936) was one such figure. An art collector, patron and dermatologist, he was involved in the Art Circle from its founding in 1891. He had a keen interest in modern art movements and was closely associated with artists such as Johan Thorn Prikker.

Leuring probably played a role in the first Van Gogh exhibition in the Netherlands, held at Haagse Kunstkring in 1892. He later organized a major Van Gogh exhibition in Groningen and had the famous Art Nouveau villa The Seagull in The Hague designed by Henri van de Velde.

This story was written by Margreet den Buurman, author and member of Haagse Kunstkring. Den Buurman is a literary historian and biographer specializing in art and cultural history. Her publications include a biography on Thomas Mann and a double biography on the Hague painter brothers Willem and Pieter de Zwart. In her work, she brings to life the stories of artists and cultural figures, in which Haagse Kunstkring plays an important role.

Willem Jan Hendrik Leuring

Written by Margreet den Buurman.

The Hague has known many colorful figures and without them the current artistic landscape in and around the Kunstkring would definitely look different. They were unconventional, dared to go against the grain and last but not least were driving forces behind the Haagse Kunstkring. Occasionally at this place a gem from its rich history.

One of the free spirits of the first hour was the art collector, patron and physician/dermatologist Willem Jan Hendrik Leuring, (1864 former Dutch East Indies – 1936, Mook, Limburg).

Twenty-seven years old and a medical student in Leiden, he was there when the Haagsche Kunstkring was founded in May 1891 in a small room at café Riche on The Hague’s Buitenhof.

Leuring was a scion of a wealthy family that amassed capital in the former Dutch East Indies. He was a great art lover in which his main interest was in the then modern, late 19th century movements of impressionism, symbolism and the then highly modern Art Nouveau.

In 1892 the Haagse Kunstkring – at the time still housed in some of the rooms of the café Riche – hosted the first exhibition of works by Vincent van Gogh, (1853-1890). It is likely that Leuring played a role in organizing this exhibition. By then he had already established close friendships with artist members of “De Kring,” including the sculptor and graphic artist Johan Thorn Prikker, (1868-1932).

A few years later, in 1895, a second Van Gogh exhibition was organized at the Haagse Kunstkring, which had moved a year earlier to premises on Herengracht No. 13. And here’s where it gets interesting, because in the same year Leuring, by then 31 years old, went to the University of Groningen to specialize in dermatology.

Again Willem Leuring set to work enthusiastically in the artistic field. A circle of five other students was found with the goal of a large Van Gogh exhibition in the then Groninger Museum of Antiquities. Johan Huizinga, (1872-1945), the historian who later became famous, was a student of history in his native Groningen in 1895. He recalled about Willem Leuring:

In the course of 1895 Willem Leuring, who had already studied medicine in Leiden for several years, came to Groningen to complete his studies. With his circle of friends he shared an ardent interest in what was at the time state-of-the-art art, but not only that, he personally knew a number of those artists whom we revered without actually knowing their work.’

From February 21 to 26, 1896, there was a major Van Gogh exhibition at the then Groninger Museum featuring 102 paintings, one lithograph and 23 drawings. Leuring, who personally owned a number of Van Goghs, maintained contact with Johanna Van Gogh-Bonger, (1862-1925), the widow of Theo van Gogh.

Willem Leuring settled back in The Hague after his marriage in 1898 to Wilhelmina Mathilde Dolk, where he practiced as a dermatologist. In 1901, at his request, Henri van de Velde, (1863-1957) designed the Art Nouveau villa De Zeemeeuw, still famous in The Hague . Johan Thorn Prikker designed for the villa the so-called sgraffiti – Art Nouveau and Jugendstil lines.

In 1920 he had himself deregistered from The Hague and moved to Mook, in the province of Limburg, by then 56 years old. There he became known as a “retired dermatologist” and a great society man. He also served on a number of committees. Especially for Scouting Netherlands, he meant a lot from Mook. He became the publisher of a number of the so-called Pestalozzi diaries – named after an 18th century educationalist. The diary contained many educational advice and physics facts. Truly a colorful Art Circle member from the very beginning!

portrait Willem Jan Hendrik Leuring

Through May 5, 2025, the Groninger Museum is hosting a reprise exhibition titled, “How Van Gogh Came to Groningen.

Thanks to guest curator Mariëtta Jansen for the info regarding Willem Leuring

Sources: RKD; DBNL, Johan Huizinga, Collected Works Volume I, (1948);Gretha Pama, “How in 1896 six students successfully brought Van Gogh’s work to Groningen for six days. In: NRC, November 26, 2024;

Scoutpedia

https://nl.scoutwiki.org/Willem_Jan_Hendrik_Leuring

Photos:

Willem Leuring in later life. Source: Scoutpedia -author unknown/public domain

Villa The Seagull. Source: Wikiart – public domain