Exhibition 'The Collection of Jeu and Netty van Sint Fiet'

“WER KUNST SAMMELT KOMMT IN DEN HIMMEL”

"We've collected so much that we're now faced with a choice: reorganize or raise the bar. You don't buy art to store it in the garage. Beautiful things demand and deserve respect. For me, it's no longer just a collection, but a concept I'm working on," says Jeu van Sint Fiet. "The energy and dynamism of contemporary art are what inspire me. Through exhibitions and articles, I got to know Joep van Lieshout. I had him design my entire medical practice and housed part of my collection there. I want to show how vulnerable artists are."

The Collection

The collection includes works of national and international significance by artists such as Joep van Lieshout, Anton Corbijn, and others. The basis for the exhibition at Museum Valkenburg is their extensive collection of artists who were born, studied, or worked in Limburg. A distinction is made between artists born before 1944, with monumental works by Charles Eijck, Henri Jonas, Aad de Haas, Piet Killaars, and many others, and artists born after 1944, including Joan van Barneveld, Keetje Mans, Job Smeets of Studio Job, Ted Noten, Fransje Killaars, Roy Villevoye, Claudy Jongstra, Toon Teeken, and Han van de Wetering.

The Collecting Spirit of a Family

The exhibition is also a tribute to Wan and Jeanny van Sint Fiet. Their love for art was instilled in them from a young age. Father Wan and his wife Jeanny collected antiques as well as art. As a butcher, Wan would display art from his collection in his shop window in Maastricht's Rechtstraat on Maundy Thursday, the traditional day for butchers. Sometimes, he would work on it for twelve hours a day. On Maundy Thursday, the people of Maastricht would traditionally come en masse to view the shop windows of the at least 15 butchers who then made a good living in one street. All three children have also been infected with the collecting bug. Jeu, the eldest, with his extensive collection. Ger, with an important collection of design furniture, Royal Boch Belgium pottery, and paintings by Felix van de Beek, Chrit Rousseau, and Guus van Eck. And Ien, with design clothing by Anne Marie Beretta, shoes by Jan Janssen, bags by Hester van Eeghen, and hats by Wendy Villevoye.