Jeanne Bieruma Oosting - The Wilderness - linocut on Japanese paper, signed l.r.

The versatile oeuvre of Jeanne Bieruma Oosting (1898-1994) is central to various exhibitions during the Summer of Jeanne. Museum Belvédère not only shows her colourful graphics, but also shows works that are linked to her Frisian youth. The emphasis, however, is on the groundbreaking graphics from her Parisian period, which are sometimes morbid, mysterious and melancholic, but also celebrate nightlife. Born into the wealthy environment of Frisian nobility and patriciate, a career as an artist was not obvious. Jeanne Bieruma Oosting was restricted by the conventions of her time, class and gender, but nevertheless fought her way free. During her long career, she created an extensive oeuvre that includes oil paintings, watercolours, graphics and works on paper. In order to create her work, she often had to 'wrestle with the muses', as she herself described it.


Although she is now known primarily for her colorful interiors, still lifes and landscapes in an accessible late-Impressionist style, the artist also has another side, characterized by dark themes and macabre depictions.