Pictura has always been central to Dordrecht's art scene.
In 1774, the Teekengenootschap Pictura was founded in Dordrecht by Abraham van Strij and three friends. In this anniversary year, 2024, various exhibitions and activities will take place around 250 years of Pictura in Dordrecht. A number of cultural partners in the city will link up with their own events, in cooperation with Pictura.
Pictura drawing society still alive and kicking
In 2024 Pictura will celebrate its 250th anniversary. In this anniversary year of 2024, many special exhibitions and other wonderful things are planned. Dordrecht is a picturesque city where artists have always been active. From 1774, the Pictura Drawing Society was central to the artistic life of the city. Many famous and less famous artists became members. Pictura is still alive and kicking as a stage for contemporary art with over 130 working and 100 art-loving members and eight exhibitions a year. Visitors here have the opportunity to come into contact with contemporary art and the very latest developments in the art world.
Exhibition Brothers van Strij
The Dordrecht Museum is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the society with an exhibition on the Van Strijs and their importance to Pictura. Abraham (1753-1826) and Jacob van Strij (1756-1815) were among the finest artists working in the Netherlands around 1800. Their sunny landscapes and interiors are still beloved today. The brothers from Dordrecht were the driving forces behind the Teekengenootschap Pictura, the oldest surviving artists' society in our country.
Pictura in the Picture
The art of drawing has been called the mother of all arts. That is why Het Dordts Patriciërshuis is celebrating this 250th anniversary by exhibiting not only drawings by Abraham and his brother Jacob van Strij, but also works by somewhat lesser-known "Picturians," who worked in Dordrecht from its founding until about 1825. Some of these, such as J.C. Schotel, Michiel Versteegh, Leendert de Koningh and Martinus Schouman, gained (inter)national fame, as did the van Strij brothers. The museum's period rooms also feature paintings of many genres.
Van Strij walk
Dordrecht is a picturesque city where artists have always been active. From 1774, the Pictura Drawing Society was central to the artistic life of the city. Numerous famous and less famous artists became members. This city walk, which starts at the Dordrecht Museum and ends at the Dordrecht Patrician House, takes you along traces of the lives of these artists and what they drew and painted.
