Museum donates ‘Wilma with cat’ to the city of Arnhem

Museum Arnhem is celebrating its centenary with a gift to the city. A towering reproduction of Carel Willink’s painting has been unveiled on a blank wall along the Utrechtseweg Wilma with cat.

The Arnhem museum is currently closed for a major renovation. But that does not mean that the centenary will pass unnoticed or that the paintings cannot be seen, reports Gelderland broadcaster. This year there will be huge copies of what the museum calls “public favorites” at a number of places in the city.

It is no coincidence that Wilma with cat, painted by painters collective De Strakke Hand, now the first to be unveiled. “It is a very empathetic painting and recognizable to everyone: a woman lovingly holding her cat. Willink has painted the skin of his wife, her vest and especially the fur of the cat in a sublime way”, the museum itself reviews. on the website.

Still life with cello

In a month’s time Museum Arnhem will present a second gift to the city: an equally large copy of Still life with cello from Raoul Hynckes. Local residents participated in the choice of that work.

Museum Arnhem itself will reopen in the course of next year, after the renovation. If you want to see the original, much smaller version of Carel Willink’s painting, you don’t have to wait until then. As soon as the museums are allowed to reopen, is Wilma with cat on display at the Stedelijk Museum Breda. It currently has a selection of works from the Arnhem museum on loan.

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