From Wednesday, December 4

The Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum receives twelve important works from the collection of the donor couple Hanns von der Ohe and Renate Luck from the König-Baudouin-Stiftung on permanent loan. The paintings from the 19th century introduce key representatives of Dutch and Belgian landscape and genre painting to the collection and expand the presentation of the Düsseldorf School at the SLM.
The works on display shed light on the close cultural ties between Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
"It speaks for art," emphasizes Heinrich Brötz, Head of Cultural Affairs, "that beyond aesthetic enjoyment, it can still create cooperation and friendship two hundred years after its creation. The fact that the King Baudouin Foundation is the first foreign museum to provide the Suermondt-Ludwig Museum with such high-quality permanent loans is a strong gesture of European solidarity, which the City of Aachen feels very honored by."

"It is a great pleasure for us to have these works in Aachen," affirms Melanie Coisne, Head of the Heritage and Culture Program of the King Baudouin Foundation. "In a museum that so vividly expresses the cultural ties between our neighboring countries. With this permanent loan, we not only want to preserve the artistic heritage, but also facilitate new dialogs between art and the public. We hope that these works will inspire many people and at the same time invite them to discover Belgian places of art and culture."
The collection of Hanns von der Ohe and Renate Luck comprises outstanding works by Dutch and Belgian artists and represents the important landscape and genre painting of their era. It was recently donated to the King Baudouin Foundation in order to preserve these cultural assets for future generations and make them accessible to the general public. In the specially designed room on the second floor, the new collection is displayed as an ensemble that illustrates the development of landscape painting in Northern and Central Europe and highlights its proximity to the art scene in neighboring countries. The presentation focuses on romantic and realistic tendencies that reflect the changing relationship to nature and society. Wilhelm Lommen's work expands on the Düsseldorf School, which is characterized by Johann Wilhelm Schirmer and the Achenbach brothers. The integration of artists such as Theophile de Bock and Paul J. C. Gabriel, central figures of the Hague School, enables the museum to show important representatives of this movement for the first time. The Hague School, inspired by the Barbizon School, provided new impulses that were essential for the development of Post-Impressionism and Modernism.
In addition, Belgian artists such as Isidore Verheyden, François Antoine Bossuet and Jean-Baptiste de Jonghe add new perspectives to the collection. They depict rural idylls and peasant life, which were romanticized and offered an escape from urbanization and industrialization. These artists, who were close to the traditional Brussels Art Academy, were in exchange with the leading painters of other European art centers and set new accents in the field of realistic landscape and genre painting.
The cross-border presentation is rounded off by new works by representatives of the Munich School, including Walther Firle and his teacher Alois Gabl.

The new permanent loans illustrate the importance of the exchange between the neighboring countries. The museum thus offers a historical perspective and a cultural connection that appeals equally to visitors from Belgium and the Netherlands. This is the first time ever that the King Baudouin Foundation has given so many works of art - twelve in total - on long-term loan to a foreign museum. "It is our duty to strengthen the cultural links between three countries that were important drivers of modernism in the 19th century," says Director Till-Holger Borchert. "This collaboration enriches our collection and intensifies the cultural experience of our audience."

Commitment to the preservation of cultural heritage
For over 35 years, the King Baudouin Foundation has been at the forefront of preserving Belgium's artistic and cultural heritage. Thanks to the generosity of patrons and philanthropic funds, the Foundation has amassed a collection of over 27,000 works of art and 27 archives entrusted to nearly 100 museums and institutions. Its mission is to preserve these treasures for future generations and make them accessible to the public.