New Light – De Ploeg

New Light – De Ploeg is a completely renewed presentation of works by the artists’ collective De Ploeg from the collection of the Groninger Museum. The exhibition offers a fresh and insightful perspective on the renowned artists’ association founded in Groningen in 1918, which left a lasting mark on Dutch art history.

Visitors are invited to explore the surprising diversity and experimental spirit of De Ploeg’s artists during the years 1918–1930: from expressionist paintings to graphic art, applied design, and multidisciplinary collaborations with writers, musicians, and architects. By focusing on the origins and context of the works, the exhibition brings to life the artists’ pioneering energy – the shock of the new.

A renewed approach, surprising stories

Where earlier presentations treated De Ploeg’s paintings as ‘old masters’, the Groninger Museum now returns to the roots of the story: the artists’ social and economic background, their training at Academie Minerva, influences from the international avant-garde, and their roles in society. The exhibition also highlights experiments with materials and techniques, as well as lesser-known aspects of De Ploeg, including applied arts and collective projects.

The chronological layout guides visitors through seven galleries in the De Lucchi Pavilion. Each room tells a different part of the story: from the group’s founding and early successes to Jan Wiegers’s influential encounter with Ernst Ludwig Kirchner in Switzerland, the group’s multidisciplinary collaborations, their exploration of abstraction and constructivism, and finally De Ploeg’s postwar legacy in museums, collections, and Groningen’s art scene.

Featured artists include:

• Hendrik Nicolaas Werkman
• Jan Altink
• Alida Pott
• Johan Dijkstra
• George Martens
• Jan van der Zee
• Wobbe Alkema
• Job Hansen
• Jan Wiegers