KattenKabinet
Encyclopedia
The KattenKabinet is an art museum in Amsterdam
devoted to works depicting cat
s. The museum collection includes paintings, drawings, sculptures and other works of art by Pablo Picasso
, Rembrandt, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
, Corneille
, Sal Meijer
, Théophile Steinlen
, and Jože Ciuha
, among others.
The museum is housed in a canalside building at Herengracht 497, in the grand Gouden Bocht
("Golden Bend") of this canal. The owner of the place is living on the 2nd floor of the building with his family. There are some cats in the museum as well.
The house and the adjacent building at Herengracht 499 were built in 1667 for the patrician brothers Willem and Adriaen van Loon. Through the luck of the draw, Willem was given the house at number 497. Later, the house was inhabited by Amsterdam mayor Jan Calkoen and Amsterdam pensionary Engelbert van Berckel, among others.
John Adams
visited van Berckel at the house during his time as U.S. ambassador to the Dutch republic.
In 1985, the building was restored, and in 1990 the museum was founded by Bob Meijer in memory of his red tomcat John Pierpont Morgan (named after the American banker J. P. Morgan
).
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
devoted to works depicting cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s. The museum collection includes paintings, drawings, sculptures and other works of art by Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
, Rembrandt, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa or simply Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, and illustrator, whose immersion in the colourful and theatrical life of fin de siècle Paris yielded an œuvre of exciting, elegant and provocative images of the modern...
, Corneille
Guillaume Cornelis van Beverloo
Guillaume Cornelis van Beverloo , better known under his pseudonym Corneille, was a Dutch artist.Corneille was born in Liege, Belgium, although his parents were Dutch and moved back to the Netherlands when he was 12. He studied art at the Academy of Art in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands...
, Sal Meijer
Sal Meijer
Salomon "Sal" Meijer was a Dutch painter, primarily known for his paintings of cats and Amsterdam city views....
, Théophile Steinlen
Théophile Steinlen
Théophile Alexandre Steinlen, frequently referred to as just Steinlen , was a Swiss-born French Art Nouveau painter and printmaker....
, and Jože Ciuha
Jože Ciuha
Jože Ciuha is a Slovenian-born artist. He has gained international recognition, winning several important international prizes. These prizes include:*Grand prix at the international graphic biennale at Seoul...
, among others.
The museum is housed in a canalside building at Herengracht 497, in the grand Gouden Bocht
Gouden Bocht
The Gouden Bocht is the most prestigious part of Herengracht in Amsterdam, between Leidsestraat and Vijzelstraat.Until 1663 Herengracht reached as far as the present Leidsegracht. From that year on, the fortifications around Amsterdam were expanded, within Herengracht, Keizersgracht and...
("Golden Bend") of this canal. The owner of the place is living on the 2nd floor of the building with his family. There are some cats in the museum as well.
The house and the adjacent building at Herengracht 499 were built in 1667 for the patrician brothers Willem and Adriaen van Loon. Through the luck of the draw, Willem was given the house at number 497. Later, the house was inhabited by Amsterdam mayor Jan Calkoen and Amsterdam pensionary Engelbert van Berckel, among others.
John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
visited van Berckel at the house during his time as U.S. ambassador to the Dutch republic.
In 1985, the building was restored, and in 1990 the museum was founded by Bob Meijer in memory of his red tomcat John Pierpont Morgan (named after the American banker J. P. Morgan
J. P. Morgan
John Pierpont Morgan was an American financier, banker and art collector who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation during his time. In 1892 Morgan arranged the merger of Edison General Electric and Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form General Electric...
).