General Information

The Scheringa Museum of Realist Art
Spanbroekerweg 162,
1715 GV Spanbroek (near Hoorn)
T +31 (0)226 - 35 11 11 / F +31 (0)226 - 35 18 59
Email: info@scheringamuseum.nl

Admission charges: Adults   €5,50   
Children 4-14  €4,00
Senior/Groups   €4,00 (15 or more paying visitors).
Free admission for ICOM, Annual museum pass and Friends of the Scheringa Museum of Realist Art.  

Open:    Daily 10 am- 5 pm
Closed Christmas day, New Year’s Day.

Due to limited space in our building unfortunately we can not exhibit all the paintings from our collection. With every temporary exhibition, a new selection of our own collection is shown. Click here to see a list of paintings that are currently on display.

An Unique Initiative for a remarkable collection

The Scheringa Museum of Realist Art is an initiative by the art-collectors Dirk en Baukje Scheringa. The museum houses their collection of more than five hundred works of art.

Dirk Scheringa

It was their passion for the Magic Realism of Carel Willink that lead to the unique collection. They were fascinated by the meticulous technique, the incredible eye for detail and the magical atmosphere of Willink’s images. Around hundred paintings and drawings by Carel Willink are now included in the collection, providing a unique survey of the oeuvre of this artist, who died in 1983.
Those drawings and paintings by Carel Willink form the core of the present Museum collection; this is in fact the largest collection of Willinks to be shown anywhere on a permanent basis!

Magic Realism

In the course of time the works of Carel Willink have been placed in a broader context. Paintings by contemporary artists, such as Wim Schuhmacher, Pyke Koch, Raoul Hynckes and Dick Ket, who worked in the same style as Willink, are now also included in the collection. Often referred to as Magic Realism this is a style that dominated Dutch art in the 1930s.

The term Magic Realism was first used by critics in the early Thirties to describe the work of a group of Dutch artists. What these artists had in common was that they all seemed to paint 'another reality' in an almost photographic manner. Magic Realists produced images, which were not intended as a precise depiction of the real world. Using unusual perspectives and representing backgrounds as sharply as foregrounds they painted an own reality which usually came within the realms of probability but which was nevertheless unlikely, and very, very unsettling. Most striking were the differences in theme, execution, and use of colour.

Scheringa Museum of Realist Art

Within a relatively short period the Scheringa Museum of Realist Art has grown an interesting collection, bringing together Magic Realists and contemporaries working in other styles. 
The Scheringa Museum of Realist Art first opened its doors to the public in February 1997. Although there was never any 'school', as such, of Magic Realists, the fact that the museum building had formerly housed the 'Lidwina School for Girls' was reason enough to call the opening exhibition 'The School of Magic Realism'. The collection of the Scheringa Museum of Realist Art can be visited permanently. The works of Willink, Koch, Hynckes, Schuhmacher en Ket will be exhibited on a permanent basis.  Click here for the digital catalogue 

At the same time the museum regularly organises interesting temporary exhibitions on the theme of Magic Realism. But also photography, design, fashion are fields of interest for the museum. The museum’s growing collection, displayed in a series of thirteen exhibition rooms, will certainly not disappoint lovers of Dutch realism. For children there’s an art quiz (only available in Dutch). You can also look around in the museum shop or have a delicious lunch at the cafe.

Association of Friends of the Scheringa Museum of Realist Art
The museum welcomes support from private individuals. Supporters receive numerous advantages, including free admission to the museum, and invitations for openings and special events.

Facilities in the Museum

Guided tours: Guided tours for groups, school classes etc. are available. The museum has its own education programme. You can get more information and make reservations at the receptiondesk.
Price p.p.: € 2,50 exclusive admission charges.

Museum shop: The shop offers a selection of art books, including exhibition catalogues. Postcards (books), calendars, reproductions.
   
Museum cafe: you can relax and enjoy a cup of coffee with krentenmik (currant loaf), sandwiches, lunches, High tea etc.

A special room for lectures, presentations, slide-shows is available. It is possible to rent the auditorium per hour, for meetings, gatherings etc. For more information 0226 – 3511 11.

Day trips 

The Scheringa Museum of Realist Art offers you the following daytrips:
Guided tour
We start with a cup of coffee and a slice of West-Frisian currant loaf (krentenmik), followed by an introduction of the collection and a guided tour outlining the origins of the museum collection, the most important paintings and the temporary exhibition. After that you’ll have time to look round the museum at you own pace, and to visit the museum shop. A delicious lunch will be served at the museum cafe.

Bicycle ride from Hoorn to Spanbroek and back.
The route from Hoorn to the Scheringa Museum of Realist Art in Spanbroek passes through the wonderful countryside of West-Friesland. You can enjoy the wide panoramic views and the typical farms of North Holland. At the Scheringa Museum of Realist Art  a cup of coffee and a slice of West-Frisian currant loaf (krentenmik) is followed by a guided tour of the museum collection and the latest exhibition. A delicious lunch at the museumcafe is an ideal way to round off your visit.

The museum is accessible to wheelchairs. 

How to get there: 

Amsterdam – Spanbroek (40 minutes):
Ring A10, follow roadsign Zaanstad/Purmerend; A7 direction Enkhuizen/Leeuwarden. Exit no. 10 Opmeer/Wognum/Schagen/Nibbixwoud. Straight ahead at the roundabout, take first road at your left side (Tramweg), take a right at the end of the road, the museum is after 2 km. on the left side. Car park, also for buses.

Public Transport:

Coming by train, station Hoorn, the museum can be reached from station Hoorn by bus 49. Bus stop Spanbroekerweg (near the church). 

Free introduction

Every Sunday at 12.00, a member of the museum staff provides a 20 minute introduction to Holland in Slow Motion. No reservations, tickets are available at the ticket desk.

Guided tours with/without lunch

Guided tours are available for groups of five or more. A museum staffer provides informed commentary on the exhibition or permanent collection, or both. This takes around 50 minutes. Tours may also be combined with a special Holland in Slow Motion lunch at the museum café.

Tour: € 2.50* p.p.

Lunch: € 8.00* p.p.

Bicycle and Walking Tours

The Scheringa Museum of Realist Art is located in the wonderful West Frisian countryside. Various routes from the museum feature historical monuments, such as a restored windmill and traditional farms. Routes are available at the ticket desk.

For visitors who arrive by car, bicycles are available for rent at the museum, together with a picnic basket.

Price: € 2.00* for a walking tour or bicycle route.

Price: € 8,50* p.p. for a picnic basket. The picnic basket is for max. four persons, if available.

Price: € 9,50* p.p. for a bicycle.

* All prices is excluding the museum ticket