ZWOLLE.- At Home with Ter Borch opened at Museum de Fundatie in Zwolle on 6 September. The exhibition, staged in collaboration with the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, for the first time tells the story of the ‘workshop’ of the Ter Borchs, a family of artists from Zwolle, and the exchange of artistic inspiration between its members: father Gerard and his children Gerard the Younger, Gesina, Harmen, Anna and Moses. More than 70 works on paper and 35 paintings from Dutch, European and American museums and private collections are on display in Zwolle.

The exhibition, curated by Marjorie E. Wieseman, curator and Head of the Department of Northern European Paintings at The National Gallery of Art (Washington), provides an overview of the most recent academic insights and discoveries. At Home with Ter Borch is also a collaboration between several organisations in Zwolle. This year, Academiehuis Grote Kerk and ANNO Stadsmuseum Zwolle will both host an exhibition on the same subject.

Extensive archive

Although only one member of the family (Gerard ter Borch the Younger, 1617-1681) became a professional artist, the entire family had a great passion for drawing and painting. Father Gerard ter Borch the Elder (1584-1662) encouraged all his children to develop their talent for drawing. They drew and painted each other, sat for each other and copied each other’s work. An extensive archive of drawings and albums preserved by Gesina ter Borch (1631-1690) and her descendants, which was acquired by the Rijksmuseum in 1886, has made it possible for the body of work produced by one of the most talented families of artists from the Netherlands to be meticulously reconstructed.

Museum de Fundatie

The first part of the exhibition at Museum de Fundatie introduces each member of the family, with a series of portraits painted or drawn by the artist, or by one of their relatives. The specific talents and interests of each member of the family are highlighted. Portraits, character studies, landscapes, cityscapes and scenes from daily life showcase the incredible versatility of this artistic family.

Gerard and Gesina

Besides the family workshop, the exhibition also examines Gerard ter Borch the Younger’s successful career as a professional artist. He mainly produced portraits and thematic paintings. The story of his talented half-sister Gesina – artist, poet and family archivist – presents a fascinating contrast with his career. Specially for At Home with Ter Borch the Rijksmuseum – for the first time – loaned a painting by Gesina which it acquired last year. It is a posthumous portrait of her brother Moses (1645-1667) at the age of two.

International loans from Europe and the US

Museums in the Netherlands and abroad provided works on loan for this exhibition. Besides the very generous loan of more than 60 works by the Rijksmuseum, At Home with the Ter Borchs also features paintings, drawings and engravings from The Hague, Haarlem, Leiden, Rotterdam, Otterloo, Antwerp, Brussels, Braunschweig, London, Manchester, Paris, Vienna, Prague, New York, Washington, Detroit and Los Angeles.

‘Learning from and with each other encourages creativity’, says Beatrice von Bormann, director of Museum de Fundatie Zwolle. ‘That is the main theme of At Home with Ter Borch and it is an approach that Zwolle, with its educational institutions, service-oriented economy and generous cultural offerings, also champions. Zwolle was the home of the Ter Borchs’, and we plan to celebrate that fact in grand style.’

The Ter Borch-family in Zwolle

Traces of the family can be found in many places in Zwolle and the surrounding area. Several of their homes still exist in the town, there are gravestones at the Academiehuis/Grote Kerk and many of their drawings and paintings depict well-known spots in Zwolle. There will be a guided tour of the Ter Borchs’ Zwolle that links up these various locations.

Publication

A publication with essays by Marjorie E. Wieseman, Ilona van Tuinen (Rijksmuseum Amsterdam), Geertje Havers & Michael Klomp (Overijssel provincial collection) and Chourouk Hriech (artist) will accompany the exhibition, published by Museum de Fundatie and W-books.

Title: At Home with Ter Borch
Price: 29.95