• 

  The Mesdag Collection

  The Hague, Netherlands

  11 works

  6 Jun-31 Aug: Fri-Sun 10:00-17:00; 1 Sep-31 Dec: Wed-Sun 10:00-17:00; closed 25 Dec, 1 Jan

  

  Museum detailsMap
• 

  Teylers Museum

  Haarlem, Netherlands

  1 works

  Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00, closed Mondays · €18,50 adults

  Museum detailsMap

Plan your visit to see Anton Mauve →

• What is Anton Mauve known for?+

  Anton Mauve had established himself as one of Holland’s most commercially successful artists.
• What is Anton Mauve's most famous work?+

  Anton Mauve was a commercially successful Dutch^[4] painter known for his atmospheric works depicting farmers and fishermen. He worked in both watercolour and oil paint. His paintings often transformed everyday scenes, such as a lone rider or a cow, into what one observer called "poignant tone poem[s]". Mauve was popular among collectors and fellow artists in The Hague. He helped establish a drawing society and was on the board of the Pulchri Studio, the city's leading artists' association. His cousin-in-law, Vincent van Gogh, admired Mauve and considered him a mentor. Van Gogh described one of Mauve's works, a large picture of a fishing boat being hauled up to the dunes, as a "masterpiece". This work particularly impressed Van Gogh, who felt it communicated a powerful message of resignation and quiet perseverance. He imagined that even Millet, another artist known for his sympathetic depictions of rural life, would have admired the painting's emotional depth.
• What should I know about Anton Mauve's prints?+

  Anton Mauve (1838^[4]-1888^[4]) was a Dutch^[4] realist painter, a leading member of the Hague School^[4]. He is less known as a printmaker, but his prints offer insight into his artistic practice. When assessing Mauve's prints, it is helpful to consider the art market of his time. Art dealers sometimes used a master's name as a "brand name", even if the work's quality was not high. Buyers often relied on the opinions of connoisseurs and the provenance of artworks to judge authenticity and value. Collectors were interested in the quality of a work, and were not willing to blindly accept attributions made by auctioneers. Provenance was frequently used by art collectors around 1700 as a way of determining the authenticity of a painting. Elite art lovers formed an informal community in which transparency on provenance, quality assessment, and so on were very important. Therefore, when considering a Mauve print, examine its provenance, seek expert opinions, and assess its quality independently.
• What style or movement did Anton Mauve belong to?+

  Anton Mauve is associated with the Hague School^[4], a Dutch^[4] artistic movement active from about 1860^[4] to 1890. The Hague School artists worked near The Hague and shared a sensibility, painting in a style akin to French Impressionism. However, the cool, clear palette of the French Impressionists was considered too intellectual by the Hague School painters. They preferred to express physical sensation of the world around them through colour. In 1884, a National Salon in The Hague indicated a return to colour by masters of the Hague School, such as Jacob and Willem Maris, Mauve, P. J. C. Gabriel, Willem Roelofs, and J. M. Weissenbruch, after a period in the 1870s when they used a predominantly grey palette. The Barbizon school was known in Holland at that time as the modern French school of painting and enjoyed that status for many years.
• What techniques or materials did Anton Mauve use?+

  Anton Mauve was a painter associated with the Hague School^[4], known for his skill in capturing the silvery light of the Dutch^[4] landscape. He worked in both watercolour and oil paint, and was admired for his ability to create moody, atmospheric works. Mauve's technique involved a muted palette, favouring a limited range of subdued colours to create tone poems of suffused light. The Hague School painters, including Mauve, moved away from bright, contrasting colours. They believed that "tonal" painting better represented the "fragrant, warm gray" of the Netherlands. As a teacher, Mauve emphasised the importance of good materials and technique, such as using the wrist rather than the fingers. He instructed Vincent van Gogh in the use of charcoal, chalk, brushwork, shading, and watercolour. He later encouraged van Gogh to begin painting with oils, even providing him with the necessary supplies.
• What was Anton Mauve known for?+

  Anton Mauve was a Dutch^[4] artist, whose work included drawings of rural subjects. One of his pieces depicts a fishing boat being drawn up to the dunes. Another, titled *A Plough*, was described as 'splendid'. Other works included *Sheep in the Dunes*, and a single figure of a labourer resting in a field at twilight. Contemporary Vincent van Gogh greatly admired Mauve's art, particularly his ability to capture the theme of resignation. Van Gogh claimed a painting of old horses pulling a boat was like a sermon, showing how to suffer without complaint. He felt that painter Millet would have appreciated the emotion in Mauve's work. Van Gogh also mentioned seeing drawings by Israëls, Artz, Weissenbruch, and others at the same exhibition as Mauve.
• When did Anton Mauve live and work?+

  Anton Mauve (1838^[4]-1888^[4]) was a Dutch^[4] artist associated with the Hague School^[4]. He is known for his commercially successful paintings of farmers and fishermen rendered in muted tones. Mauve was related to Vincent van Gogh by marriage; he wedded Anna Carbentus's niece in 1874^[4]. He assisted van Gogh in practical ways, opening his house and studio to him. Despite a fifteen-year age difference, Mauve may have recognised aspects of his early life in the younger artist. Like van Gogh, Mauve had left home at a young age to pursue art, disrupting his family's plans for him to enter the ministry. Mauve was a leading figure in the Hague School, a movement that gained critical and commercial recognition in the decade before van Gogh encountered it. The Hague School painters emulated the Dutch Golden Age and attracted collectors, particularly in England and America, who were willing to pay high prices for their paintings. By 1880, works by the Hague School dominated sales, and popular artists such as Mauve struggled to keep up with demand.
• Where can I see Anton Mauve's work?+

  Anton Mauve's artworks can be viewed in numerous museums across Europe and the United States. In the Netherlands, the Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh in Amsterdam holds a substantial collection. This collection originated from Vincent van Gogh's family estate and was preserved by Theo van Gogh's widow, Mrs J. van Gogh-Bonger, and her son, Dr Vincent W. van Gogh. The Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller in Otterlo, also in the Netherlands, features works amid gardens and woods. In the United States, collections include the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Chicago Art Institute, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Fogg Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Norton Simon Art Foundation in Los Angeles, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Saint Louis Art Museum.
• Where was Anton Mauve from?+

  Anton Mauve was Dutch^[4]. Several 17th-century Dutch artists spent time in different cities and countries, but remained identified with their place of origin. Paulus Bor (circa 1600-1669^[4]) lived in Rome early in his life, but he returned to Amersfoort, where he worked until his death. Gerard ter Borch (1617-1681) studied in Zwolle and Haarlem, travelled widely in England, Germany, Italy, France and Spain, and then settled in Deventer. Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder (circa 1565-1621) was born in Flanders, worked in Antwerp, and then moved to Holland. Adriaen van de Velde (1636-1672) painted picturesque scenes with animals and figures, suggesting Italian influence. His brother, Willem van de Velde the Younger (1633-1707), was a marine painter who spent over thirty years of his life in England.
• Who influenced Anton Mauve?+

  Anton Mauve was a follower of the Barbizon School. He is best known today for his association with Vincent van Gogh, to whom he was related by marriage. Mauve gave Van Gogh instruction and encouragement at a time when the latter needed it most. He taught Van Gogh the basics, such as how to use coal and chalk, how to use a brush, how to shade, and how to make watercolours. Initially, Mauve critiqued Van Gogh's work directly, offering advice on proportion and perspective. Mauve eventually encouraged Van Gogh to begin working with oils. In December 1881^[4], Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo that Mauve had sent him a box with everything needed to paint in that medium. Despite their later disagreements, Van Gogh remained grateful to Mauve. After Mauve's death, Van Gogh created Peach-Trees Blossoming, Souvenir of Mauve as a tribute.
• Who was Anton Mauve?+

  Anton Mauve (1838^[4]-1888^[4]) was a Dutch^[4] artist associated with the Hague School^[4]. He is known for his atmospheric paintings, often featuring farmers, fishermen, and seascapes rendered in muted tones. He worked in both oils and watercolour, turning commonplace scenes into what one observer called "tone poems". Mauve was commercially successful during his lifetime, with collectors valuing his depictions of rural life and coastal scenes. His images often included fishing boats being hauled onto the beach, or fashionable people at the shore. He was active in the Hague art scene, helping to found a drawing society and participating in the Pulchri Studio artists' association. Mauve is also remembered for his connection to Vincent van Gogh. He was married to a cousin of Van Gogh's, and he provided Vincent with early instruction and encouragement. Despite their age difference, Mauve opened his home and studio to Van Gogh, offering guidance on technique and materials. Mauve's instruction included practical advice on drawing and painting, and he introduced Van Gogh to the tonal painting style of the Hague School. Although their relationship later fractured, Van Gogh remained grateful for Mauve's early support and influence.
• Why are Anton Mauve's works important today?+

  Anton Mauve, a leading figure of the Hague School^[4], is significant for his contribution to Dutch^[4] art in the late 19th century. The Hague School, sometimes described as the Dutch equivalent of French Impressionism, saw artists move away from the predominantly grey palette of the 1870s, and Mauve was at the forefront of this shift. His works are important as examples of a specific Dutch artistic sensibility, one that valued an emotional, intuitive approach to painting. This contrasted with the more rational, intellectual style emerging in Amsterdam at the same time. While French Impressionism was known in the Netherlands, it was often considered too cold and cerebral. Mauve's influence extended to the next generation; he was admired by artists who came to be known as the 'Eighties Generation'. He is also remembered as Vincent van Gogh's cousin-in-law, and for a time, his mentor. Van Gogh's letters to his brother Theo include references to Mauve's instruction and artistic guidance.