Ruisdael Stipend

The Ruisdael Stipend enables young artists, working in the Netherlands or in Germany, to produce new work. It further encompasses an exhibition at Bentheim Castle, a catalogue and an artist’s fee.

The Ruisdael Stipend is dedicated to supporting cultural exchange between the Netherlands and Germany: a long-standing commitment of the Grafschaft Bentheim. It was conceived in the framework of the kunstwegen sculpture project raumsichten and is being granted for the first time in 2013. The stipend is awarded annually based on the recommendations of internationally renowned artists. The Städtische Galerie Nordhorn and the cultural office of the Landkreis Grafschaft Bentheim ensure the curatorial and organisational supervision of the project.

By hosting contemporary art at Bentheim Castle, facilitated by the generous support of the princely family, the Ruisdael Stipend provides new perspectives on the historical art treasures of the region. Works include in particular Jacob van Ruisdael’s “View of Bentheim Castle from the Northwest” (c. 1655). Since 2012 this painting from the collection of the Niedersächsische Sparkassenstiftung is on permanent display at Bentheim Castle.

Ruisdael’s “View of Bentheim Castle from the Northwest” is one of ca. thirty paintings that the artist made after his travels through Grafschaft Bentheim. Ruisdael revolutionized landscape painting by combining the detailed realism of sketches made on location, with fictitious elements that he devised in his studio. Doing so he accomplished timeless landscape paintings that up until today enjoy great popularity.