Behind the Gallery: Pygmalion, two decades of fine art

The year 2017 marked the 20th anniversary of Kunsthandel Pygmalion. Located in the old centre of Maarssen, a small town on the river Vecht, Pygmalion is run by Jaap Versteegh and his partner Joke van Veen from their house; a lovely canal house on the Langegracht.

To celebrate their 4th quinquennial Jaap and Joke hosted a number of festivities, aptly named ‘Chambres d’Art’, freely translated after the Chambres d’Amis, that Jan Hoet would organise as Director of the Gents Museum.

Held on Sundays, the couple introduces guests to their collection and opens up their house, including garden house(!), to make sure guests feel right at home.

We’re gathered in the kitchen of their art-filled house as Joke meticulously makes us all coffee.

Stories about the last twenty years fill the room and I quickly notice the warmth and knowledge of this household. Jaap is an expert on visual arts and researches most if not all of the artworks that pass by him. For him and Joke quality, not price is leading.

They want people, collectors and first-time buyers, to purchase a work of art which is priced fair, is still affordable and that maintains its value.

_{The Road to Gethsemani - Jan Verkade (1868 - 1946)}

During the 1970s Jaap Versteegh worked as a critic for the Utrechts Nieuwsblad. He always felt the urge to write and after having attended the Academy of Arts it seemed a good fit. Meanwhile, as he exhibited his own art, he would trade his work for that of other students and artists.

Later, Jaap was admitted to the BKR vetting committee and as the number of articles and publications grew, Jaap knew so had to grow his knowledge. He decided to enroll and study Art History.

After graduating Jaap became a teacher at the University for Applied Sciences before moving on to the University of Leiden. It wasn’t until the curriculum changed that Jaap started writing and publishing full-time for renowned museums such as the Kunsthal, Museum Catharijneconvent, Museum Flehite Amersfoort , the Dordrechts Museum and many others. Countless academic articles on a diversity of art forms Jaap would write but there was always a bias and a love for sculptures.

In the following years the collection would shift from contemporary to 19th century art.

_{The Ice skater - Piet Esser (1914-2004)}

While Joke doesn't have the same artistic background, she is everything but a stranger to the world of art.

Though the world of IT, in which she previously held a high-profile job, might seem distant, the creative way of finding solutions, one could argue, mirrors the creative process of an artist. It was no surprise when Joke gave up a life in IT to pursue activities within non-profit organisations like Fort Maarsseveen.

What started as a hobby grew into something more serious; it grew from a collection to a gallery and after 3 years the gallery turned into an art dealer. The number of exhibitions grew exponentially with time and the collection grew both in number and quality which led to numerous collaborations with different museums.

Now Joke is nearly a full-time partner in the Gallery.

You could say that Pygmalion exists purely by the grace of the love that both Jaap and Joke have for their collection and the artists that created them.

If you would like to have more information please send an email to info@pygmalion-art.com 

Kunsthandel Pygmalion will also attend Art Breda, official partner of Gallerease.