Museum MORE x Kunstsokken

Four iconic works by Jan Mankes and Charley Toorop – from serene Frisian landscapes to mysterious church owls and explosive floral still lifes. Dutch realism at its finest, now available as a limited edition on your feet.

Jan Mankes (1889-1920)

The quietest painter of the Netherlands

Jan Mankes lived only 30 years, but painted an oeuvre that touches generations. From his beloved Friesland, he captured the world as he felt it: full of silence, simplicity and an almost mystical tranquility.

Tuberculosis forced him into a secluded life in De Knipe and later Eerbeek. But Mankes was far from isolated – he read newspapers, followed developments in the art world, and married Anne Zernike, the Netherlands' first female minister with a doctorate. He observed his subjects endlessly, until he knew them by heart. Only then did he paint – not what he saw, but its essence.

Museum MORE possesses an exceptional collection of his work. From serene landscapes to intimate animal portraits: each piece breathes the calmness with which Mankes approached the world.

Charley Toorop (1891-1955)

Headstrong, expressive, incomparable

Charley Toorop grew up as the daughter of Jan Toorop, but developed a completely unique voice that even overshadowed her famous father. Where others sought realism, she chose expression. Where others painted smoothly, she employed a coarse, powerful brushwork that was unique in the Netherlands.

She drew inspiration from German Expressionism and Picasso's post-Cubism, but translated it into something entirely her own. Her work isn't about perfect imitation – it's about personal symbolism, about feeling, about the essence behind what you see.

As a woman in a man's world, Toorop claimed her place. She worked until age 64 in the same expressive-realistic style, consistent and uncompromising. Museum MORE cherishes her masterpieces as highlights of Dutch art history.