Henk Bremmer, “Art pope” in The Hague

Henk Bremmer: Art Pope and inspiration in The Hague art world

Henk Bremmer (1871-1956) was an influential art educator, critic and advisor who played an important role in the Dutch art world between 1910 and 1940. He taught well-to-do art lovers, mostly women, and with his insights influenced not only their tastes but also the way art was collected and appreciated. His name is inextricably linked with great collectors such as Helene Kröller-Müller, for whom he made purchases and who, partly thanks to his advice, built up an impressive art collection.

In her story on Bremmer, following the recently published book Bremmerians – Julie de Graag and her circle by Jan Paul Hinrichs, Margreet den Buurman, author and member of Haagse Kunstkring, paints a picture of Bremmer’s influence and the artists and collectors around him. Den Buurman is a literary historian and biographer specializing in art and cultural history.

Her article takes a look at Bremmer’s influence within The Hague’s art world and his connections with women artists, including Julie de Graag. A fascinating insight into a period when art education, networking and the role of women in the art world underwent a significant shift.

Jan Paul Hinrichs: ‘Bremmerians – Julie de Graag and her circle: ‘ten artists in The Hague and Laren’. Publisher Fragment, 2024

By Margreet den Buurman

A nice book by the author, slavist and translator Jan Paul Hinrichs about some lady followers of the art pedagogue Henk Bremmer (1871-1956) was recently published by Fragment Publishers. The graphic artist and woodcut artist Julie de Graag, (Gorinchem 1877 – The Hague 1924), is given a special place because she remained an ardent follower throughout her life and stands out in terms of her modernist work. But who was Henk Bremmer, who as art pope between 1910 and 1940 had great influence on the acquisition of works of art by museums and on what was considered “art” by the general public?

A plaque in Trompstraat 322 in The Hague reminds passers-by that between 1902 and 1956 the art pedagogue H.P. Bremmer lived and practiced here. Bremmer was from a simple background. Born in Leiden, his parents ran a hotel there. He wanted to become a painter by profession and tried to connect here and there. However, his strength turned out to lie in articulating for others what art can do, following the latest modern trends. He developed a private, practical conception of art with spiritual tendencies. ‘Truthfulness’ and ‘truthfulness’ became key concepts in the Practical Aesthetics he developed.

His career took off when he was asked to teach art classes with the notary family Beekhuis of The Hague. In 1895 he married the eldest daughter Aleida, introducing him to higher circles.

In Trompstraat about 1900 he began an art pedagogy practice in which he held causeries for a receptive audience – mostly ladies from wealthy circles. The art world was small in The Hague; people knew each other and at least came to neighborhoods. It is therefore not difficult to imagine that there were ties to the Haagse Kunstkring. Female artist members or art-loving members may have been occasional listeners at his lectures. Moreover, between 1903 and 1910 he published the monthly magazine Modern Works of Art , and between 1913 and 1938 he published the monthly magazine Visual Arts. Art dealers advertised in his magazines. The magazines will have been on reading tables or recommended in reading folders. Ladies Bremmerians like Julie de Graag exhibited at the Hague gallery De Zonnebloem and at art gallery d’Audretsch, galleries where art circle members also exhibited and were advertised. Julie de Graag traded The Hague for Laren in 1904. Because her parents lived in The Hague, her ties with The Hague remained.

Soon Bremmer also traveled the country and became something of an art broker. Lectures in the province he usually gave at the invitation of one of his well-to-do pupils, who gathered a circle around him for this purpose. At all his lectures at home or in the country, he displayed a number of panels on consignment. Interested audiences could buy a painting.

Visually Hinrichs describes Bremmer’s lady pupils with names like Anna Egter van Wissekerke, Tjitske van Hettinga Tromp, Jo Koster, Ida Siewertsz van Reesema and Julie de Graag. Almost all of them could afford the construction of a villa in the Gooi, where Bremmer would drop by again for a causation with slides and some paintings for sale. He charged 3 guilders per person per lesson – about 50 euros in today’s times. Bremmer was their guide for decades; they followed him blindly and hung on his every word.

One of the great followers of Henk Bremmer from 1905 became Hélène Kröller-Müller, married to the puissant wealthy entrepreneur Anton Kröller. From late 1907, he became her permanent advisor for art purchases.

Bremmer must have had charisma as well as the ability to make others, especially the ladies, feel that he was there especially for them. Julie de Graag and some others from her circle adored him. Hinrichs’ book provides an impetus to delve once more into the artistic landscape in the first decades of the 20th century, when ladies from higher circles saw an escape route in an unfettered artistry under the wings of a leader.

Until Feb. 16, 2025, an exhibition featuring the work of Julie de Graag is on display at The Hague’s Escher Museum on the Voorhout.
https://www.escherinhetpaleis.nl/tentoonstelling/julie-de-graag

Jan Paul Hinrichs: “Bremmerians – Julie de Graag and her circle: ten artists in The Hague and Laren. Publisher Fragment, 2024. 135 pp.

Sources: Hanna Klarenbeek: “Brush Princesses & Bread Painters, Women in the Visual Arts 1808-1913. Publisher Toth Bussum, 2012;

DBNL: “An authoritarian art pedagogue, the biography of H.P. Bremmer. In: Biography Bulletin, volume 17, 2007. Author: Caroline Roodenburg-Schadd – on the biography of Hildelies Balk.

Photo: Portrait of H.P. Bremmer by Bertha van Hasselt – ca.1921. Source: Wikipedia/public domain