At Home With Ter Borch - A Family of Artists in Zwolle

Four hundred years ago, Zwolle was home to one of the most important artist families of the seventeenth century, with world-famous descendants such as Gerard ter Borch and Gesina ter Borch. Many drawings from their childhood have been carefully preserved by the family and today provide a unique glimpse into city life of the time. The Ter Borch family was intimately connected to Zwolle, and in 2025 we will celebrate their legacy with the whole town during Thuis bij Ter Borch. Meet this artistic family in their own city The exhibition at Museum de Fundatie, in collaboration with Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, features over 70 works on paper and 35 paintings, from Dutch, European and American museums and private collections.

On 25 September 1625, seven-year-old Gerard ter Borch the Younger (1617-1681) made a small drawing of a horse and rider. With a few accurate lines, this drawing launched a highly successful career as a professional artist. Gerard would become known for his way of painting fabrics, but also for the expressions of his characters. In At Home with Ter Borch, you get to know not only Gerard but also his equally talented siblings.

_{Gerard ter Borch de Jonge, Man on Horseback, seen from the rear, 1625, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam}

Learning from and with each other
Gerard de Jonge was not the only talented artist in the family. At least three of his half-sisters and brothers - Gesina (1631-1690), Harmen (1638-1677) and Moses (1645-1667) and Anna - were also gifted artists. Encouraged by their father Gerard ter Borch the Elder, an artist himself, they were given every opportunity to develop their creativity and learn from each other. Thus, members of the Ter Borch family were constantly sketching, scribbling, practising, copying, competing, inventing and experimenting.

A large selection of drawings, albums and paintings by the Ter Borch family has been preserved, thanks in part to careful archiving by Gerard the Elder and Gesina. Gerard the Elder kept hundreds of drawings by his children and added notes to track their artistic development.

_{Gerard ter Borch de Jonge, Woman Writing a Letter, Mauritshuis Den Haag}

At home in Zwolle
A large number of works by the Ter Borch family focus on the city of Zwolle. We see scenes on the market square, in the Grote Kerk (now the Academiehuis) and along the city wall. The works give a unique insight into life in Zwolle in the 17th century.

Just under 400 years after the Ter Borch family went through its creative development in Zwolle, it is now returning to its hometown. Whereas Zwolle was often the subject on works by different family members, the family itself is now the focus throughout. Alongside the exhibition at Museum de Fundatie is an exhibition on the social and professional circumstances of the Ter Borch family, organised by Museum Anno. During the same period, Academiehuis Zwolle, in cooperation with contemporary maker Jasper Abels, is devoting attention to the life of Gesina ter Borch. In addition, films, concerts and other events surrounding the Ter Borch family will be presented at various locations in Zwolle.

_{Gerard ter Borch de Jonge, Melkmarkt in Zwolle, at night, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam}

The exhibition At Home with Ter Borch at Museum de Fundatie Zwolle is curated by Marjorie E. Wieseman, curator and head of the Department of Northern European Painting at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (US).

The exhibition will be accompanied by a publication of the same name with essays by Beatrice von Bormann, Marjorie E. Wieseman, Coby Zandbergen (Academiehuis), Anna Bouwman, Ilona van Tuinen (Rijksmuseum Amsterdam), Geertje Havers & Michael Klomp (Erfgoed Gemeente Zwolle) and Chourouk Hriech (visual artist). A publication of Museum de Fundatie and W-books.

Header photo: Gerard ter Borch (II), Gesina ter Borch, Memoir portrait of Moses ter Borch (1645-1667), 1667 - 1669, oil on canvas, 76.2cm × 56.5 cm, Rijksmuseum Collection

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