Sal Meijer
Encyclopedia
Salomon "Sal" Meijer was a Dutch
painter, primarily known for his paintings of cats and Amsterdam city views.
Sal or "Sally" Meijer was born at Zwanenburgwal
10 as the son of Jewish diamond-cutters
. In his youth, he worked in the diamond industry while studying art. He devoted himself fulltime to painting in 1914. His first one-man exhibition was in 1926.
His marriage to the non-Jewish Liesje Giehl in 1930 caused so much friction with his parents that he moved out of his parents' home and moved the following year to the village of Blaricum, which had a vibrant artists' community. After the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II
, Meijer was banned from exhibiting his paintings; however, his mixed marriage enabled him to survive the war. In 1957, he was honored at a ceremony by the Blaricum artists' society to mark his 80th birthday. At this occasion, the Dutch state purchased one of his paintings, depicting the Raamgracht canal in Amsterdam.
In 1958, the Stedelijk Museum
in Amsterdam presented an overview of his work. After his death in 1965, a memorial exhibition was held at Zeist
palace. Meijer was buried at the Jewish cemetery in Muiderberg.
Due to the simplicity of Meijer's paintings and his modest attitude - he did not regard his paintings as works of art but as craftmanship - his work was often labeled as "naive" and "primitive". However, a re-evaluation of his work began in 1957 with the article "Onze grootste moderne primitief - Schilder van betekenis" ("Our greatest modern primitive - Painter of importance") by Kasper Niehuis. The book Sal Meijer, zo naïef nog niet ("Sal Meijer, not that naive") by Agnes Grondman followed in 1986. In 1990, a small book about his paintings of cats was published, Sal Meijer: Raphaël der katten ("Sal Meijer: Raphael of cats") by Nicole Ex. (The title Raphael of Cats
had previously been given to Swiss artist Gottfried Mind
(1768-1814)). And in 2007, an exhibition of never before-shown drawings and oil paintings by Meijer and Melle Oldeboerrigter was held at the Amsterdam artists' society Arti et Amicitiae.
Works by Meijer are on view at the Jewish Historical Museum and the Kattenkabinet
cat museum in Amsterdam, among others.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
painter, primarily known for his paintings of cats and Amsterdam city views.
Sal or "Sally" Meijer was born at Zwanenburgwal
Zwanenburgwal
The Zwanenburgwal is a canal and street in the center of Amsterdam. The painter Rembrandt and philosopher Spinoza lived here. In 2006 it was voted one of the most beautiful streets in Amsterdam by readers of Het Parool, a local daily newspaper....
10 as the son of Jewish diamond-cutters
Diamond cutting
Diamond cutting is the art, skill and, increasingly, science of changing a diamond from a rough stone into a faceted gem. Cutting diamond requires specialized knowledge, tools, equipment, and techniques because of its extreme difficulty....
. In his youth, he worked in the diamond industry while studying art. He devoted himself fulltime to painting in 1914. His first one-man exhibition was in 1926.
His marriage to the non-Jewish Liesje Giehl in 1930 caused so much friction with his parents that he moved out of his parents' home and moved the following year to the village of Blaricum, which had a vibrant artists' community. After the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Meijer was banned from exhibiting his paintings; however, his mixed marriage enabled him to survive the war. In 1957, he was honored at a ceremony by the Blaricum artists' society to mark his 80th birthday. At this occasion, the Dutch state purchased one of his paintings, depicting the Raamgracht canal in Amsterdam.
In 1958, the Stedelijk Museum
Stedelijk Museum
Founded in 1874, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is a museum for classic modern and contemporary art in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. It has been housed on the Paulus Potterstraat, next to Museum Square Museumplein and to the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and the Concertgebouw, in Amsterdam Zuid...
in Amsterdam presented an overview of his work. After his death in 1965, a memorial exhibition was held at Zeist
Zeist
Zeist is a municipality and a town in the central Netherlands, located east of the city of Utrecht.-Population centres :*Austerlitz*Bosch en Duin*Den Dolder*Huis ter Heide*Zeist- The town of Zeist :...
palace. Meijer was buried at the Jewish cemetery in Muiderberg.
Due to the simplicity of Meijer's paintings and his modest attitude - he did not regard his paintings as works of art but as craftmanship - his work was often labeled as "naive" and "primitive". However, a re-evaluation of his work began in 1957 with the article "Onze grootste moderne primitief - Schilder van betekenis" ("Our greatest modern primitive - Painter of importance") by Kasper Niehuis. The book Sal Meijer, zo naïef nog niet ("Sal Meijer, not that naive") by Agnes Grondman followed in 1986. In 1990, a small book about his paintings of cats was published, Sal Meijer: Raphaël der katten ("Sal Meijer: Raphael of cats") by Nicole Ex. (The title Raphael of Cats
Raphael of Cats
The Raphael of Cats can refer to either of two artists noted for their portraits of cats:*Gottfried Mind , of Switzerland.*Sal Meijer , of the Netherlands....
had previously been given to Swiss artist Gottfried Mind
Gottfried Mind
Gottfried Mind was a Swiss autistic savant who specialized in drawing. He was called the Raphael of Cats because of the excellence with which he painted that animal.- Early life :...
(1768-1814)). And in 2007, an exhibition of never before-shown drawings and oil paintings by Meijer and Melle Oldeboerrigter was held at the Amsterdam artists' society Arti et Amicitiae.
Works by Meijer are on view at the Jewish Historical Museum and the Kattenkabinet
KattenKabinet
The KattenKabinet is an art museum in Amsterdam devoted to works depicting cats. 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...
cat museum in Amsterdam, among others.
Sources
- Jewish Historical Museum (Dutch)
- Kattenkabinet (Dutch)