Recently, I got to learn about a person who was a pivotal figure in Babs’s career as an artist and in the world of contemporary ceramics in general. That person was Jacob Willem Nicolaas van Achterbergh (1928-2009) who played a significant role not only as a collector but as a supporter and friend of many artists in the field. Especially Babs, who had the chance to receive the Van Achterbergh prize in 2020, with a show in the Ceramic Museum Princessehof in Leeuwarden, titled “Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder”, a recognition that still holds great meaning to her.
Van Achterbergh's legacy as an art connoisseur goes far beyond personal interactions. He was a major collector and authority on post-war ceramics, leaving behind an extensive collection that spanned several cultures, including Dutch, Spanish, French, Italian and Middle Eastern ceramics. His deep knowledge of ceramics was inherited from his father and grandfather, who had amassed impressive collections of tiles throughout the years, partly still on show in the Princessehof Museum. The family collection, particularly the tiles, formed a foundation for Van Achterbergh’s understanding of the craft, and from this foundation, he began to focus on contemporary ceramics in the late 1950s.
One of the significant relationships that shaped his collection was with Jaap Bastert, a conservator at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, and later with Bastert’s successor, Bernadine de Neeve. Through these connections, Van Achterbergh encountered the works of leading ceramists, including Jan van der Vaart and Johan van Loon. The Experimental Department of the Porceleyne Fles, with artists such as Lies Cosijn and Harriët Sielcken, captivated him. The unique hand-built pieces they created and decorated using the sgraffito technique, became a highlight of his collection.
In 1969, van Achterbergh curated his first major exhibition at Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, titled "1959 Pottenkijker 1969." This exhibition displayed 412 objects from his collection, representing the pinnacle of Dutch ceramics at the time. The artists he admired ranged from Etie van Rees, whose figurative ceramic work he valued, to more contemporary names such as Jan de Rooden and Johnny Rolf. The sculpture "Dragonfly" by Jan de Rooden, which van Achterbergh renamed "Euromast" upon acquiring it, stands as a testament to his deep connection to the works he collected.
Van Achterbergh’s influence continued into the 1980s and 1990s, as he discovered and supported new talents like Babs, purchasing her works after being introduced to her by his aforementioned friend and Babs’s teacher, Jan van der Vaart.
Babs informed me that her connection with van Achterbergh began around that time, in 1979, when he attended her diploma show. He purchased works from both her and Geert Lap (a fellow student and friend), marking the start of a meaningful friendship. Over the years, they visited many exhibitions together, and often exchanged letters.
She also added that van Achterbergh’s generosity extended beyond professional support. Beyond different generous gestures, he opened his home to Babs, allowing her to study in his garden room, where she had the opportunity to explore the vast collection of books he had in his library. In this library there was also a collection of ceramic pieces under which Lucie Rie and Hans Cooper. This space became her sanctuary after her diploma show, which she visited weekly.
He also had a small Museum at the Wittenkade in Amsterdam, aptly named "De Pottenkijker," dedicated to ceramics. As students, Babs and her fellow students had the privilege of being invited to this personal Museum. Koninklijke Tichelaar Makkum had a showroom on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam and asked van Achterbergh to be involved with opening a gallery, which was called “de Proen”, in the same place. In 1979, he organized a show for four students, Babs among them, from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy. Babs added that van Achterbergh’s involvement in her work was more than financial or logistical. He would often visit her studio and, over tea, they would discuss potential titles for her art pieces. That is why many of the titles of her earlier pieces were influenced by his love for French culture.
Later he established the Van Achterbergh-Domhof Foundation, in honour of his parents, and through it he ensured that the promotion of contemporary ceramics and applied arts would continue beyond his lifetime. The Foundation still goes strong, managing his legacy and his collection is partially donated to several museums, like the Princessehof Museum in Leeuwarden while other pieces were auctioned or sold. The Foundation gives every two years a prize to an artist or institution, dedicated to ceramics, with an exhibition in the Pirincessehof Museum.
Van Achterbergh’s passion for ceramics remained until his passing in 2009. His collection continues to influence the world of contemporary ceramics, with pieces displayed in exhibitions and sold at auctions. His legacy is not just in the objects he collected, but in the lives and careers of the artists he supported. Reflecting on those moments, Babs felt very fortunate to have been a part of his journey, highlighting his generosity, knowledge and friendship that left an indelible mark on the ceramics community.
See you next time! (•‿•)
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