Museum Panorama Mesdag presents Light, Air, Water – The Painters of The Hague : a visually rich and surprising exhibition that, from an art historical perspective, charts the development of The Hague painting over two centuries. From 19th-century masters like Andreas Schelfhout to contemporary artists like Sebastiaan Spit, all found and continue to find inspiration in the same phenomenon: the changing coastal light of The Hague.
Two centuries of light, air and water
Over sixty artworks from museum and private collections are presented in a unique context of light, air, and water. Classical masters such as Hendrik Willem Mesdag, Sientje Mesdag-van Houten, Wijnand Nuijen, Willem Roelofs, George Hendrik Breitner, and Willem Bastiaan Tholen are shown alongside modernists like Jan Mankes, Co Westerik, and Willem Hussem. While these artists drew inspiration from foreign forerunners like John Constable, Richard Bonington, and the Barbizon painters, contemporary artists like Marjolein Knottenbelt and Casper Faassen revisit the tradition of the Hague School.
Special attention is given to the influence of meteorologist Luke Howard, whose cloud classification provided artists with a new vocabulary for capturing light and air.
” Light, air, and water are the ingredients that compose clouds. It’s no coincidence that they form the leitmotif of this exhibition. From Schelfhout to Hussem and from Weissenbruch to Westerik, the connection with The Hague’s horizon has always been the most important source of inspiration for the painters of the royal capital. Looking into the clouds above the North Sea, you see more than a beautiful spectacle; it’s a centuries-old dialogue between sky, light, and the Dutch landscape. With this exhibition, we want to make that fleeting moment—so masterfully captured by The Hague’s painters—tangible for our visitors ,” says guest curator Werner van der Belt.
Out
The exhibition begins with Andreas Schelfhout, who, even before the French Barbizon painters, worked outdoors in the Scheveningen dunes. His cloud studies—influenced by English contemporaries and the meteorological insights of his time—marked the beginnings of a new artistic approach to landscape. From these early developments, the Hague School emerged, driven by figures like Mesdag, de Marissen, and Weissenbruch. Their paintings, characterized by a grand, atmospheric realism, emphasized light, air, and water.
From modernism to new light
From the interwar period well into the twentieth century, The Hague’s landscape continued to inspire artists. Artists like Jan Mankes, Willem Hussem, Rein Draijer, Co Westerik, Theo Bitter, and Nol Kroes explored new forms and meanings. Westerik depicted the sea as a sensory experience, Hussem abstracted the coastal landscape into pure form, and Bitter transformed the beach into a monumental backdrop.
Art of today – with light from the past
The final section of the exhibition focuses on contemporary artists. They paint, photograph, and create installations that re-examine and reimagine The Hague’s light, air, and water. Sebastiaan Spit explores the interplay of clouds and shadows above the sea, Marjolein Knottenbelt breathes new life into old paintings, and Cassandra van Veen literally dives into the sea to transform her experience into images.
Museum director Minke Schat: “ We bring the silver light of The Hague to life – from Schelfhout to the present – with Mesdag’s iconic Panorama as a magical pivot point in the exhibition .”
The exhibition is curated by guest curator Werner van den Belt and museum director Minke Schat, in collaboration with the Kunstmuseum Den Haag, the Hague Historical Museum, Hoogsteder & Hoogsteder, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, Museum De Fundatie, Museum Belvédère, and the Groninger Museum, among others.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a richly illustrated book by co-authors Werner van den Belt and Bob Hardus, in collaboration with publisher WBOOKS.
The exhibition: Light, Air, Water – The Painters of The Hague from October 4, 2025, to March 1, 2026.
