Raisonné
The project aims to research and ensure the long-term preservation and transfer of Erwin Olaf’s oeuvre and archive to the Netherlands Collection (Collectie Nederland).
This research will culminate in a Catalogue Raisonné, providing a comprehensive and authoritative framework for documenting, safeguarding, studying, and preserving Erwin Olaf’s body of work for both present and future generations.
Taco Dibbits, Director of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
Erwin Olaf: Legacy & Catalogue Raisonné, is an initiative of Foundation Erwin Olaf with the objective of transferring Erwin Olaf’s artistic legacy to the Dutch National Collection (Collectie Nederland). Erwin Olaf is one of the most important Dutch artists of the past four decades. His oeuvre is of exceptional quality and international significance. In a unique way, his art brings together activism, humanism, beauty, and artistic excellence.
Within the dynamic context of Erwin Olaf’s artistic and social life, and following the impact of his sudden passing in September 2023, there is now—three years later—an urgent need to safeguard his oeuvre and archive for future generations.
Foundation Erwin Olaf and its partners are committed and motivated to join forces on this project. Through this collaboration, leading knowledge and expertise will be brought together with the aim of creating a definitive reference work that does justice to the cultural and social importance of the oeuvre and legacy of one of the most significant artists in recent Dutch history. In this way, both Erwin Olaf’s art and his lifelong commitment to freedom and equality will continue to retain their meaning and impact for future generations.
In the autumn of 2028, five years after Erwin Olaf’s passing, the transfer of his legacy to museums, institutions, and the Dutch National Collection (Collectie Nederland) will be celebrated and formally marked with a symposium. The symposium aims to exchange and share experiences, knowledge, and insights among those involved, as well as with national and international audiences.
