From December 10, 2015, to January 24, 2016, the Jan van der Togt Museum presented the exhibition "The Two Great Loves of Elisabeth den Bieman de Haas: Corneille & Mar." This fulfilled a great wish of Elisabeth den Bieman de Haas: to bring together the work of these two beloved artists in a single museum exhibition.
Both artists occupy a special place in the life of Elisabeth den Bieman de Haas. Her life was entirely devoted to art; she was a gallery owner in the Nieuwe Spiegelstraat for 25 years and also built up a unique collection of Corneille's work.
Work from various periods by Corneille (1922–2010) was exhibited. In collaboration with the artist himself, she compiled an extensive collection from 1981 onwards, with all works coming directly from Corneille. However, the collection focuses on works from 1943–1948, the period before CoBrA. It is precisely these years that illustrate the young artist's drive for innovation and artistic development. This unknown period is documented and described by Marjet den Bieman, Elisabeth's daughter, in the 1997 book Corneille An early bird. Under the name Mar, Marjet herself built up an impressive oeuvre as an artist. It goes without saying that Mar and Corneille are the most important artists in Elisabeth's life.
The exhibition featured work by Corneille from after 1950, but also included several pieces from the years 1943–1948. A trip to Budapest in 1947 accelerated his development; there he was introduced to new art movements, including the work of Paul Klee, which had a major influence on his later oeuvre. During this period of experimentation, he focused primarily on form and line, making his work somewhat more abstract. In November 1948, Corneille was one of the co-founders of the revolutionary CoBrA movement. In 1950, he settled permanently in Paris.
One of Corneille's most beloved subjects is women. Using bright colors, he created a world of sensual women in sun-drenched tropical landscapes, accompanied by birds in flight. Birds were his favorite theme, symbolizing freedom.
The work of Mar (1966–2002) touches, inspires, and transports you to a colorful world full of love and harmony. Her remarkable oeuvre is characterized by elegant, elongated women who embody themes such as love, friendship, and security. Mar expresses emotions through warm, rich colors, strong contours, and rounded organic forms. Her women are powerful and expressive, but also modest and dreamy. Over the years, a fascinating development can be seen in her art: she gradually abstracted graceful nudes to their essence. By limiting lines and details, the work gained power; the angular, expressive lines gave way to a soft, rounded, and flowing design. Mar saw beauty in small, moving moments: a simple gesture, an intense gaze, or a radiant smile, as if she wanted to say: look how beautiful the world is.
A short film about Mar was also shown in the museum. This was a special contribution from Mar's two children, who had made this film on their own initiative.