Stedelijk Museum to Exhibit Fons Welters Donation as Amsterdam Gallery Closes After 40 Years
The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam presents the exhibition Things I’ve Never Seen Before from August 2, 2025, to October 19, 2025. The show features a selection of works donated in 2022 by gallerist and collector Fons Welters, who founded Galerie Fons Welters in 1985 after working as an arable farmer. Artists represented include Olga Balema, Thomas Houseago, Saskia Noor van Imhoff, Gabriel Lester, Aernout Mik, Matthew Monahan, Maria Roosen, Berend Strik, Jennifer Tee, Evelyn Taocheng Wang and Joep van Lieshout. Many of the artists in the donation are already part of the Stedelijk's collection.
The Signal
The donation underscores Welters' influence in Amsterdam's contemporary art scene, where he supported emerging artists early in their careers, including Gabriel Lester whose work he acquired in 1999. As Galerie Fons Welters closes after forty years, the exhibition at the Stedelijk highlights the lasting impact of his collecting and gallery program on institutional holdings. Collectors and curators may note the addition of these works as strengthening the museum's contemporary holdings.
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- Artists: Olga Balema, Thomas Houseago, Saskia Noor van Imhoff, Gabriel Lester, Aernout Mik, Matthew Monahan, Maria Roosen, Berend Strik, Jennifer Tee, Evelyn Taocheng Wang, Joep van Lieshout
- People: Fons Welters
- Galleries: Galerie Fons Welters
- Museums: Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
- Locations: Amsterdam
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