Academie Minerva is a Dutch

art academy An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on practice and related theory in the visual arts and design. This includes fine art – especially illustration, painting, contemporary art, sculpture, and graphic design. T ...

. The academy was founded in 1798 in

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

as a school for

arts The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creativity, creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive ...

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

construction engineering Construction engineering, also known as construction operations, is a professional subdiscipline of civil engineering that deals with the designing, planning, construction, and operations management of infrastructure such as roadways, tunnels, bri ...

, and

seamanship Seamanship is the skill, art, competence (human resources), competence, and knowledge of operating a ship, boat or other craft on water. The'' Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford Dictionary'' states that seamanship is "The skill, techniques, o ...

.Dijk, F. van (1998) ''Leraren van de Academie Minerva. Een keuze uit twee eeuwen kunstonderwijs in Groningen'' Groningen: Benjamin & Partners Today it is a school for

fine art In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function (such as ...

and

design A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...

and part of the Hanze University Groningen. It offers three main fields: Fine Art, Design and Teacher of Fine Art and Design. The

Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; ; ; ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 127,073 (2023). It is the provincial capital and seat of the Provin ...

based Academy for Pop Culture is also part of the Academie Minerva. This study has two directions,

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

and

History

In 1797 six citizens from Groningen took the initiative to found a school in Drawing, Construction and Shipping. The first lessons took place in January 1798 in a building made available by the city. Gerardus de San was hired as the headteacher of the drawing department. In October 1798 the lessons in construction and nautical sciences started. In 1820 the association ''Kunstlievend Genootschap ter aanmoediging en bevordering van teken-, schilder-, graveer-, en beeldhouwkunst'' was founded ('Art-loving Society for the encouragement and promotion of drawing, painting, engraving, and sculpture'). Here artists and art lovers from the city and surrounding area could receive theory and practical lessons. From 1824 they organized drawing and painting competitions. Initially only for citizens from the province of

, but later for all Dutch citizens. In 1838 the organization and school were forced to merge due to financial difficulties. The new name was Minerva. Because Minerva opened for artist from all over the country, there was not really a place left for art out of Groningen. For this reason, the ''Kunstlievend Genootschap Pictura'' was founded in 1832 to replace the old society, which among other things organized competitions for residents of the province of Groningen. From 1842 artist from all over the country could participate. In 1857 the school moved and

Johannes Hinderikus Egenberger Johannes Hinderikus Egenberger, originally Joannes Henricus (28 April 1822 – 14 May 1897), was a Dutch painter, photographer and art educator. Biography Born into a military family in Arnhem, he received his first drawing lessons from his u ...

became the new headmaster. In 1913 the academy was incorporated into a newly formed secondary technical school, with departments of visual and applied arts, architecture and the nautical school, under the name ''Gemeentelijke inrichtingen voor nijverheidsonderwijs'' (Municipal institutions for industrial education). The MTS was located in a new school complex, built under the architecture of Jan Wiebenga and Leendert van der Vlugt. The MTS (later HTS) and the ''Hogere Zeevaartschool'' (HZS) grew after the second world war, and left little space for the art department. In 1964 the former applied arts school became an independent ''Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten'' (ABK) (Academy of Visual arts). In the years that followed, lessons were given in various places of the city. In 1984 ''Academie Minerva'' moved to a new building, designed by architect

Piet Blom Piet Blom (; February 8, 1934 in Amsterdam – June 8, 1999 in Denmark) was a Dutch architect best known for his designs of the Bastille (1964–1969), a restaurant and student facility at the University of Twente, Enschede, the housing project ...

Departments

Visual arts

Minerva is an independent art academy ever since 1964. Various members of the Groninger Kunstkring De Ploeg (1918) studied at Minerva, among others. The fourth generation of the 'Group of Figurative Abstraction', abbreviated as 'The Group', has emerged from the Minerva Academy.

Awards and stipends

The Academy awards several prizes and stipends every year, including the Coba de Groot Stipendium, George Verberg Stipendium, the Klaas Dijkstra Academy Prize, Academy Minerva Prize for Design and the Menzis grant.

Nautical science

The HTS and the HZS have long been a part of the academy. The HZS has now merged with the Maritime Academy "Abel Tasman" in Delfzijl, the HTS is now part of the Hanze University of Applied Sciences. The ''Hogere Zeevaartschool Groningen'' was one of the larger nautical schools for both the ''Grote Handelsvaart'' (GHV) and the ''Kleine Handelsvaart'' (KHV) and the Maritime Radio Officer training. All basic courses and the so-called "ranks" were taught there. Over 40 students lived in the (municipal) boarding school "Admiraal Van Kinsbergen", located on Noorderstationsstraat, during the two-year basic training. At the Academy Minerva, a sailor uniform was worn by the students of the basic training. This Maritime Academy has produced many merchant navy officers.

Alumni

Jan Altink Jan Altink (; 21 October 1885 – 6 December 1971) was a Dutch expressionist painter and cofounder of De Ploeg. Life Jan Altink was born on 21 October 1885 in Groningen in the Netherlands.

(1885–1971), painter *

Wim Crouwel Willem Hendrik "Wim" Crouwel (; 21 November 1928 – 19 September 2019) was a Dutch graphic designer, type designer, and typographer. Early life and education Between 1947 and 1949, he studied Fine Arts at Academie Minerva in Groningen, the ...

(1928), graphic designer *

Otto Eerelman Otto Eerelman (23 March 1839, Groningen - 3 October 1926, Groningen) was a Dutch painter; best known for his depictions of dogs and horses. He was also a court painter and did several portraits of Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, Wilhelmina, as Pr ...

(1839–1926), painter * Pascal van der Graaf (1979), painter *

Simone Haak Simone Haak (born Ooststellingwerf, 6 June 1952) is a Dutch visual artist, who has worked as monumental artist. sculptor and ceramicist, She is art dealer at Gallery Terra Delft, which she co-founded with Joke Doedens (1962).Kitty Kilian,10 j ...

(1952), ceramist * (1945), painter *

Derk Holman Derk Holman (August 14, 1916, in Buitenpost – February 27, 1982, in Groningen) was a Dutch sculptor and ceramist. Life and work Holman was the son of an architect. He received his training at the Minerva Academy in Groningen from 1934 to 1937. ...

(1916–1982), ceramist and sculptor *

Tjaša Iris Tjaša Iris is a Slovenian-born artist, known for her digitally manipulated photographs and large paintings painted with bright colors, vivid atmospheres of gardens with lush vegetation and bright light. Color is the main concern in her painting ...

(1968), painter *

Jozef Israëls Jozef Israëls (; 27 January 1824 – 12 August 1911) was a Dutch Painting, painter. He was a leading member of the group of landscape painters referred to as the Hague School and was, during his lifetime, "the most respected Dutch artist of th ...

(1824–1911), painter *

Jan van der Kooi Jan van der Kooi (born in Groningen, January 16, 1957) is a Dutch painter and drawer in the style of figurative arts. He is often regarded as the best contemporary Dutch drawer and painter. Education Van der Kooi spent his childhood in Bedum. F ...

(1957), painter and drawer *

Geesje Mesdag-van Calcar Geesje Mesdag-van Calcar (1850–1936) was a Dutch painter. She is known for her landscape, flower, and genre paintings. Biography Mesdag-van Calcar was born 2 July 1850 in Hoogezand. She attended the Academie Minerva in Groningen She also studi ...

(1850–1936), painter *

Awoiska van der Molen Awoiska van der Molen (born 1972) is a Dutch photographer, living in Amsterdam. She has produced three books of black and white landscape photographs, made in remote places. Van der Molen has been shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography F ...

(born 1972), photographer *

Evert Musch Evert Musch (Groningen, March 16, 1918 - Anloo, December 5, 2007) was a Dutch painter. Early life Musch studied at Academie Minerva (1936–1940) in his hometown Groningen, where he studied under , Kort and C.P. de Wit. From 1947 to 1981, Musch ...

(1918-2007), painter and drawer *

Bert Nienhuis Lambertus (Bert) Nienhuis (14 November 1873 in Groningen – 1960 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch ceramist, designer and jewelry designer. Life and work Nienhuis was born in Groningen as the son of the broker Lambertus Nienhuis (1834–1890) and ...

(1873-1960), ceramist and jewelry designer *

Noor Nuyten Noor Nuyten (born 1986) is a Dutch artist who lives and works in Amsterdam and Brussels Education Nuyten followed a postgraduate program at HISK in Ghent (BE), and studied at Malmö Art Academy (SE) and Art Academy Minerva Groningen (NL). In 2 ...

(1966), multidisciplinary artist *

Alida Jantina Pott Alida Jantina Pott (January 8, 1888, Groningen – December 23, 1931) was a Dutch visual artist and member of the Groninger art collective De Ploeg. Career Alida Pott was born in Groningen in 1888. She was the daughter of Pieter Hendrik Pott ...

(1888-1931), painter *

Matthijs Röling Matthijs Nicolaas Röling (31 March 1943 – 10 July 2024) was a Dutch painter, active as graphic designer, wall painter, painter, draftsman, lithographer, pen artist, etcher, and academy lecturer. He is considered a kindred spirit of the 3rd gen ...

(1943), painter *

Anno Smith Ferdinand Anno (Anno) Smith (7 April 1915 in Groningen – 14 January 1990 in Groningen) was a Dutch artist, who worked as ceramist, painter, sculptor and art teacher. Life and work Smith was the youngest in a family of eight children. His par ...

(1915-1990), ceramist, painter and sculptor * Ellen Spijkstra (born 1957), ceramist and photographer * Uko Post (born 1954), painter * (1936), painter and sculptor * (1917–2001), sculptor

References

External links

* {{Authority control Art schools in the Netherlands Hanze University of Applied Sciences Educational institutions established in 1798 Culture of Groningen (province)