From 10 December 2015 to 24 January 2016, Museum Jan van der Togt showed the exhibition "The two great loves of Elisabeth den Bieman de Haas: Corneille & Mar". This fulfilled the great wish of Elisabeth den Bieman de Haas to show works by these dear artists in one museum exhibition.

Both artists occupy a special place in the life of Elisabeth den Bieman de Haas. An exciting life entirely devoted to art; For 25 years she was a gallery owner in the Nieuwe Spiegelstraat, but also a collector of a unique collection of works by Corneille.

Van Corneille (1922 - 2010) shows works from different periods. In collaboration with the artist, she built a unique and extensive collection of Corneille from 1981 onwards. All works are directly from Corneille. The emphasis in the collection, however, is on the works from 1943 - 1948, the period before CoBrA. It is precisely this period that illustrates the urge to innovate and the artistic development of the young artist. In the book "Corneille An early bird" from 1997 this unknown period is documented and described by Marjet den Bieman, the daughter of Elisabeth. Under the name Mar, Marjet built up an impressive oeuvre as an artist. It goes without saying that Mar and Corneille are the most important artists in Elisabeth's life.

The exhibition showed work by Corneille from after 1950, but also some works from the years 1943 - 1948. A trip to Budapest in 1947 accelerated its development. He became acquainted with new art directions, including the work of Paul Klee, which had a major influence on his further work. In this period of experimentation, he focused primarily on form and line and the work became slightly more abstract. In November 1948, Corneille was one of the founders of the revolutionary CoBrA movement. In 1950 he settled permanently in Paris.

One of Corneille's most beloved subjects is the woman. In bright colors, he created a world of sensual women in sun-drenched tropical landscapes, accompanied by birds in their flight. The bird was his favorite theme as a symbol of freedom.

The work of Mar (1966 - 2002) moves you, inspires you and takes you to a colorful world full of love and harmony. Mar's special oeuvre is characterized by elegant, elongated women, who depict themes such as love, friendship and security. In warm bright colors, strong contour lines and round organic forms, Mar tells about emotions. Her women are powerful and expressive, but also modest and dreamy. Over the years there has been a fascinating development in her art. She gradually abstracts graceful female nudes to the essence. The work is gaining strength by retrenching lines and details. The angular expressive lines make way for a soft, round, flowing design. Mar saw beauty in small moving moments, in a simple gesture, an intense look or a radiant smile, as if she wanted to say: Look how beautiful the world is.

A short film about Mar was also shown in the museum. It was a contribution from the two children of Mar, who had made this film on their own initiative.