Hermanus Koekkoek Snr - Artist's Biography

The marine artist Hermanus Koekkoek Snr was the youngest and most famous of the four brothers who founded the Koekkoek dynasty of painters. He was father of Hermanus Jnr and Willem, who also became highly successful artists. In fact, the Koekkoeks were regarded as among the most important Dutch artists of their time.

Hermanus Snr worked in Amsterdam from 1832 to 1858. He then moved to Neuwer-Amstel, only returning to Amsterdam in 1873. He became a member of the Royal Academy in Amsterdam in 1840 and the following year a member of the Rotterdam Society. He exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1876, where his work was greatly admired.

Hermanus Koekkoek’s paintings were, in the main, depictions of the Dutch coast, recording activity in the many harbours and inlets. As we can see in this exceptional example he captured the atmosphere and changing moods of the sea with accuracy and an intuitive understanding of the forces of nature.

The work of Koekkoek is represented in a large number of museums, including Glasgow City Art Gallery, Kelvingrove; the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; the Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield; the Rijksmuseums at Enkhuizen, Groningen, and Leeuwarden; and the Mauritshuis, The Hague.