Where to See Anton Mauve

Anton Mauve's artworks can be viewed in numerous museums across Europe and the United States. In the Netherlands, the Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh in Amsterdam holds a substantial collection. This collection originated from Vincent van Gogh's family estate and was preserved by Theo van Gogh's widow, Mrs J. van Gogh-Bonger, and her son, Dr Vincent W. van Gogh. The Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller in Otterlo, also in the Netherlands, features works amid gardens and woods. In the United States, collections include the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Chicago Art Institute, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Fogg Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Norton Simon Art Foundation in Los Angeles, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Saint Louis Art Museum.

Anton Mauve (1838^[4]-1888^[4]) was a Dutch^[4] realist painter, a leading member of the Hague School^[4]. He is less known as a printmaker, but his prints offer insight into his artistic practice. When assessing Mauve's prints, it is helpful to consider the art market of his time. Art dealers sometimes used a master's name as a "brand name", even if the work's quality was not high. Buyers often relied on the opinions of connoisseurs and the provenance of artworks to judge authenticity and value. Collectors were interested in the quality of a work, and were not willing to blindly accept attributions made by auctioneers. Provenance was frequently used by art collectors around 1700 as a way of determining the authenticity of a painting. Elite art lovers formed an informal community in which transparency on provenance, quality assessment, and so on were very important. Therefore, when considering a Mauve print, examine its provenance, seek expert opinions, and assess its quality independently.

Anton Mauve, a leading figure of the Hague School^[4], is significant for his contribution to Dutch^[4] art in the late 19th century. The Hague School, sometimes described as the Dutch equivalent of French Impressionism, saw artists move away from the predominantly grey palette of the 1870s, and Mauve was at the forefront of this shift. His works are important as examples of a specific Dutch artistic sensibility, one that valued an emotional, intuitive approach to painting. This contrasted with the more rational, intellectual style emerging in Amsterdam at the same time. While French Impressionism was known in the Netherlands, it was often considered too cold and cerebral. Mauve's influence extended to the next generation; he was admired by artists who came to be known as the 'Eighties Generation'. He is also remembered as Vincent van Gogh's cousin-in-law, and for a time, his mentor. Van Gogh's letters to his brother Theo include references to Mauve's instruction and artistic guidance.

Anton Mauve was a painter associated with the Hague School^[4], known for his skill in capturing the silvery light of the Dutch^[4] landscape. He worked in both watercolour and oil paint, and was admired for his ability to create moody, atmospheric works. Mauve's technique involved a muted palette, favouring a limited range of subdued colours to create tone poems of suffused light. The Hague School painters, including Mauve, moved away from bright, contrasting colours. They believed that "tonal" painting better represented the "fragrant, warm gray" of the Netherlands. As a teacher, Mauve emphasised the importance of good materials and technique, such as using the wrist rather than the fingers. He instructed Vincent van Gogh in the use of charcoal, chalk, brushwork, shading, and watercolour. He later encouraged van Gogh to begin painting with oils, even providing him with the necessary supplies.

Anton Mauve was a follower of the Barbizon School. He is best known today for his association with Vincent van Gogh, to whom he was related by marriage. Mauve gave Van Gogh instruction and encouragement at a time when the latter needed it most. He taught Van Gogh the basics, such as how to use coal and chalk, how to use a brush, how to shade, and how to make watercolours. Initially, Mauve critiqued Van Gogh's work directly, offering advice on proportion and perspective. Mauve eventually encouraged Van Gogh to begin working with oils. In December 1881^[4], Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo that Mauve had sent him a box with everything needed to paint in that medium. Despite their later disagreements, Van Gogh remained grateful to Mauve. After Mauve's death, Van Gogh created Peach-Trees Blossoming, Souvenir of Mauve as a tribute.

Anton Mauve is associated with the Hague School^[4], a Dutch^[4] artistic movement active from about 1860^[4] to 1890. The Hague School artists worked near The Hague and shared a sensibility, painting in a style akin to French Impressionism. However, the cool, clear palette of the French Impressionists was considered too intellectual by the Hague School painters. They preferred to express physical sensation of the world around them through colour. In 1884, a National Salon in The Hague indicated a return to colour by masters of the Hague School, such as Jacob and Willem Maris, Mauve, P. J. C. Gabriel, Willem Roelofs, and J. M. Weissenbruch, after a period in the 1870s when they used a predominantly grey palette. The Barbizon school was known in Holland at that time as the modern French school of painting and enjoyed that status for many years.

Anton Mauve had established himself as one of Holland’s most commercially successful artists.