Tag Archives: collector
Jan Menze van Diepen
Jan Menze van Diepen.
Jan Menze van Diepen was born in 1905 in the city of Groningen, in a family of shipbuilders.
From an early age he had a love for art and history. In a period of over 50 years he collected a vast and varied collection.
From his parents he inherited his love of Asian ceramics. Building on their collection, he managed to put together a superb collection.
During the second world war he started another important part of the collection: prints and ceramics concerning the House of Orange-Nassau.
Van Diepen collected not only for himself. He tried as much as possible to let others enjoy.
Jan Menze van Diepen died in Haren, on February 26 1994.
Van Diepen and the Fraeylemaborg
Fraeylemaborg Slochteren
The manor Fraeylemaborg in Slochteren, more than seven centuries old, is opened as a museum to the public since 1975.
From the start the collection of Mr. Van Diepen has played an important role in the layout and furnishing of the borg, as well in respect to exhibitions as in the permanent inventory.
This special bond
caused the ‘Jan Menze van Diepen Foundation’ in 1994 to house her collection in a new depot on the estate Fraeylemaborg.
In the Fraeylemaborg one can admire pieces of art from the Van Diepen collection all over the building in a changing composition.
Collection management
Accessibility of the collection
The registration of the collection (consisting of nearly 10.000 numbers) is classified in a computerized file. Of each object text and photo are available, within a system with good search possibilities. The daily administration takes place by a curator and a maintenance worker.
The foundation strives for enlarging the number of loans to museums and cultural institutions, to be in line with the intention of the collector Van Diepen.
There are also some predefined exhibitions, each with their own theme.
These exhibitions can be acquired in loan as a whole from the Jan Menze van Diepen Stichting, with accompanying text captions.
The Jan Menze van Diepen Foundation
This Foundation was established in 1978 by mr. Van Diepen, to guard and manage his collection in the future.
The purpose of this foundation speaks clearly for it self :
“The purpose of the foundation is to acquire, to administer and to exhibit for the public objects of art, ceramics, glass, prints, carts, photos, byjoux, furniture, curiosa and other pieces of art with historic value, as well as giving in loan these objects to institutions, with a similar aim as this foundation”.
The council of the Foundation is composed as follows:
Mr. J. Kuipers, chairman, secretary
Drs. R.T. Smid, treasurer
Drs. H.B.M. Bemboom, member
Co-workers:
Drs. H. van Harten-Boers, curator
H.L.F. Siemensma, registrator/conservation employee/webmaster