Details

Name

Elbert Jan van Wisselingh

Brief Biography

1848–1912, Dutch

Occupation

Art dealer

Description

Elbert was the son of Hendrik Jan van Wisselingh (1816–84), who founded his art dealership in 1838 when he took over the firm of Johannes Immerzeel. Elbert took over when his father died, and expanded the business, now called EJ van Wisselingh & Co, to include prints. He trained in Goupil’s gallery in Paris, then in Amsterdam, The Hague, and London, and became one of the main dealers for works by the artists of The Hague School, along with Goupil, Knoedler, the French Gallery, and Vose. He opened an office at 48 Buitenhof, The Hague.
In 1875 he was persuaded by Daniel Cottier (1837–91), a London art dealer, to move to London to establish The Dutch Gallery at 26 Old Bond Street. Both he and Cottier supplied Dutch paintings to buyers in England and Scotland. He acted for Van Gogh, de Zwart and Neuhuys, and also for Matthijs Maris, selling a large number of his works, and continuing to support him after he stopped painting.
In 1887 he married Isabella Murray Mowat Angus (1858–1931), the daughter of Craibe Angus, who had taken over Cottier’s art business in Glasgow. In 1893 he opened a branch at 14 Brook St, Hanover Sq, London. In 1898, he opened an interior design workshop in Amsterdam, manufacturing luxury furniture and metalwork, designed by well-known firms, Dijsselhof, Cachet and Nieuwenhuis. The business went into liquidation in 1924.
In Van Gogh’s letters to his brother Theo, between 1875 and 1888, Wisselingh’s name appears frequently, in particular in 1883, when Vincent sends him six paintings for his opinion and assessment. Between 1889 and 1897, Wisselingh had regular correspondence with James McNeill Whistler, and sold at least five of his works, including 'Arrangement in Grey and Black; the Painter’s Mother', and 'The Fur Jacket'.
The architect Mervyn Macartney designed Frithwood House, Hampshire, for Wisselingh in 1900.