Museum Panorama Mesdag Reintroduces Betzy Akersloot-Berg in 'One of a Kind'
The Panorama Mesdag Museum in The Hague is currently hosting 'Betzy Akersloot-Berg – One of a kind', a retrospective dedicated to the Norwegian-Dutch artist Betzy Akersloot-Berg (1850-1922). This exhibition includes notable loans such as 'Kystparti i Nord Norge' (1883) from Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum and 'Huizen Noorse kust, Skorøya' (circa 1892) from Perspektivet Museum. Originally named Betzy Rezora Berg, she was born in Aurskog, Norway, and received her training in Munich, Paris, and Vienna, where she met Hendrik Willem Mesdag. She showcased her work at the 1889 Salon and the Paris World's Fair. After her marriage to Gooswinus Akersloot in 1896, she moved to Vlieland, focusing on coastal landscapes. Despite her earlier acclaim, her recognition diminished after her death, and she remains relatively obscure in Tromsø. Marguerite Tuijn, the guest curator, will give lectures on 1 and 22 November 2026 and 17 January 2027.
Key facts
- Museum Panorama Mesdag presents 'Betzy Akersloot-Berg – One of a kind', a retrospective of the Norwegian-Dutch artist.
- Betzy Akersloot-Berg lived from 1850 to 1922 and was born Betzy Rezora Berg in Aurskog, Norway.
- The exhibition includes 'Kystparti i Nord Norge' (1883) from Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum and 'Huizen Noorse kust, Skorøya' (c. 1892) from the Perspektivet Museum.
- Akersloot-Berg trained in Munich, Paris, and Vienna, and was influenced by Hendrik Willem Mesdag after seeking him out in Scheveningen in 1885.
- She exhibited at the 1889 Salon and Paris World's Fair, and at the Exhibition of Living Masters in Amsterdam.
- In 1896 she settled on Vlieland with her husband Gooswinus Akersloot and built a studio from a kit shipped from Norway.
- In 2019 Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum placed a replica of her painting box around the Roald Amundsen statue in Tromsø, prompting both support and vandalism.
- Guest curator Marguerite Tuijn will lecture on 1 and 22 November 2026 and 17 January 2027.
Entities
Artists
- Betzy Akersloot-Berg
- Betzy Rezora Berg
- Hendrik Willem Mesdag
- Sientje Mesdag-van Houten
- Gooswinus Akersloot
- Roald Amundsen
- Marguerite Tuijn
- Minke Schat
Institutions
- Museum Panorama Mesdag
- Museumtijdschrift
- Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum
- Perspektivet Museum
- Museum Tromp’s Huys
- Salon
- Wereldtentoonstelling
- Tentoonstelling van Levende Meesters
Locations
- Tromsø
- Norway
- The Hague
- Netherlands
- Aurskog
- Christiania
- Oslo
- Munich
- Germany
- Paris
- France
- Vienna
- Austria
- Scheveningen
- Vlieland
- Finnmark
- Lofoten
- Kvaløya
- Straumen gård
- Skorøya
- Gjesvær
- Amsterdam