Permanent collection

The basis of the collection was collected by Jan van der Togt with the advice of Jan Verschoor. Over the years the collection has been extended with acquisitions and thanks to donations. The collection’s main focus is on modern sculptural glass art from the 20th and 21st century. The cast and cut glass works from countries like the Czech Republic and Slovakia by artists such as Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová, Vaclav Cigler and Bohumil Eliáš form an important part of the collection. In addition to the cast and cut glass objects, various other techniques are shown such as blown glass.

Special attention is given to the remarkable development of studio glass, an international movement in which glass artists were no longer dependant on glass factories. The use of their own ovens gave them the freedom to create autonomous work. In the Netherlands this has resulted in the establishment of the glass department of the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam (now The Large Glass Department) and studios like Oude Horn in Aquoy. Many of the Dutch glass objects from the collection were created here, such as the works of Sybren Valkema, Andries Copier, Richard Meitner, Mieke Groot, Bert Frijns, William and Bernard Heesen.

The works of Sam Francis, an American abstract expressionist painter, form an important part of the museum’s collection. His works form a wonderful combination with the glass objects and this combination forms the showcase of the museum. The museum also features a series of surrealistic paintings by the Amsterdam fine painter Hans Kanters.

A number of sculptures in bronze and marble form another part of the collection. Thanks to his friendship with Jan van der Togt, the sculptures of Jan Verschoor are well represented in the museum’s collection. The museum also owns two high-quality sculptures by Harry Bertoia and Ossip Zadkine.

Jan Verschoor, artist and advisor in the establishment of the museum, has been living at Dorpsstraat 44 in Amstelveen since 1962. Museum Jan van der Togt was built against his house in 1990. In the personal atmosphere of the museum house you can explore the wide and still growing body of works of the artist Jan Verschoor.

The museum house is open regularly and is accessible via the museum. Jan will be happy to tell you how his life is interwoven with the museum and the arts. See www.stichtingjanverschoor.nl