Almighty Modest

The DE.GROEN Collection is a growing private collection of nearly five hundred works of art, with a strong focus on contemporary visual art. The collection includes work by artists from across the Netherlands, with a clear emphasis on young talent. The collection regularly purchases work by foreign artists.

The DE.GROEN Collection is collection belonging to artists Marjolein de Groen and Peter Jordaan. Since Peter Jordaan's death in February 2025, Marjolein has continued the project on her own. Whereas they had previously bought art regularly, or exchanged it for their own work, in 2010 they decided to make collecting art their mission. From the outset, their approach has been focused on conversation and encounter. Collecting as a medium to reveal the unseen and tell stories. Much of the work purchased was first viewed and discussed in the artist's studio. The surrounding stories, personal associations, and actively changing criteria (after all, there is no fixed measuring device for art assessment) ultimately determine a purchase. A glance at the collection reveals a wide variety of media with a preference for art that, even in its 

De.Groen

The start of a collection

Don't all collections start with the purchase of a first work, even without the intention of building a collection? And when do you call something a collection?  It was only after years that we started talking about a collection. Only after many studio visits and conversations with the artists. There were virtually no impulsive purchases. We looked and still look at things through the eyes of an artist. What do we like and what don't we like? The reason why a work convinces you is different for everyone. You don't have to agree with each other to both like it.

A collection like this grows slowly. Buying art as an artist is different from buying art when you are a collector or enthusiast. You have to be patient. Give the work a chance to reveal itself. Don't be seduced by beauty or provocation. By hype or the market, and so on. We have a dual role: that of visual artist and that of collector. We are interested in the story, the working processes, and the artist's attitude towards their own work. You can only find that out by visiting studios. These are valuable encounters. A decision is made: you buy or you don't buy. The collection has now grown to around four hundred works. From minuscule to space-filling. From painting and photography to video. From 2D to spatial. The work of a large number of artists in the collection is not known to the general public.

To be honest, we were not aware that the work of these unseen artists also determines the prestige and content of the collection. Making the unseen visible, for those who want to see it. 

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Berndnaut Smilde, Nimbus
in de oude kluis Weverstraat

Bezit en eigenaarschap

Tussen onze vorige locatie (in het centrum van Arnhem) en deze nieuwe plek, Showdepot DE.GROEN is er een periode geweest dat we niet zeker wisten of het allemaal wel zou lukken met de bouw en de vergunningen. We stopten toen eigenlijk ongemerkt met het uitbreiden van onze collectie. Kochten geen kunst meer. Blijkbaar is er bij ons een koppeling tussen -iest willen kopen en -het kunnen laten zien. Het delen.

Bij het kopen van kunst gaat het meer om de overdracht van verantwoordelijkheid dan om bezit. Dat waar je naar kijkt blijft altijd van de kunstenaar. Wij moeten ervoor zorgen dat het werk te zien is en als dat lukt, dan krijg ik pas een goed gevoel. Uiteindelijk blijft het werk van de kunstenaar. Ik zal bijvoorbeeld nooit zeggen dit is ons schilderij, ik zeg dit is een schilderij van Lieven Hendriks. Het materiaal -het linnen, de verf, de spielatten en zelfs de nietjes in het hout- is van ons maar het schilderij blijft van de kunstenaar. Het is natuurlijk zo dat al die werken samen wel onze collectie vormen. Onze collectie, met naam notabene: Collectie DE.GROEN. Dus de werken afzonderlijk blijven van de kunstenaar maar het geheel is van ons. De samenhang, de combinatie, de frictie tussen de werken, dát is van ons. 

Peter Jordaan (1954-2025)

In 2012, we took a big step forward and launched the DE.GROEN Collection initiative. We built up an art collection that we began sharing with the public in 2017. Many of you will remember Peter for his extraordinary guided tours, his endless anecdotes, and some artists will remember the critical but loving conversations in the studio. I remember him in everything I do. I hope that together we will continue to reminisce.
Peter leaves behind a beautiful body of work, including paintings, prints, and ceramics. We will always display his work at ShowDepot DE.GROEN in the future.

Peter was born in Arnhem. After attending the graphic arts school in Utrecht, he continued his studies at the Minerva Academy in Groningen. He soon began working as a screen printer in Amsterdam, where he printed for many artists and designers. After about 15 years, he joined Plaatsmaken in Arnhem, where he started as a screen printer and soon became artistic director. In addition to Plaatsmaken, his own artistry was given more and more space. The projects he initiated at Plaatsmaken often stemmed from his own artistic practice.

Kunstenaars

This is the list of artists whose work is included in our collection. The links lead to a separate page for each artist. The list is not complete. We are not there yet. This is for practical reasons, because the work or artist still needs to be entered into the system and because, after more than 10 years of collecting, we want to curate the list. 

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