Women Kissing
Currently on view
Jan Sluijters (1881 - 1957), 1906
oil on canvas, 92.8 cm x 62.5 cm
Credits: Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (purchased with support from the Ministry of Welfare, Health and Culture), c/o Pictoright Amsterdam 2025
In 1904, Sluijters received the Prix de Rome, an important incentive prize for young artists. He was granted a scholarship to travel and seek inspiration. Instead of studying the Old Masters, he became fascinated by the vibrant nightlife of Paris. He experimented freely with bold colours and, for that time, modern subjects, as seen in Women Kissing.
His new work caused an uproar in the Netherlands. The colour combinations were considered too outspoken, and his portrayal of women criticised as a ‘blatant disregard for the beauty of the female form.’ He lost his scholarship, but even so became one of the key innovators of Dutch Modernism.
- Object number
- s0382M1987
- Dimensions
- 92.8 cm x 62.5 cm, 114.7 cm x 84.5 cm, 6.5 cm
- Provenance
- Studio of the artist, Amsterdam, until 8 May 1957; after his death on 8 May 1957, inherited by his son, Jan Sluijters Jr., Hilversum; Kunsthandel Ivo Bouwman, c. 1980; sold by Kunsthandel Ivo Bouwman to the Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, 10 November 1987, and at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, since 1 July 1994.
- artist
- Jan Sluijters
- Credits
- Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (purchased with support from the Ministry of Welfare, Health and Culture)
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Lichte zeden. Prostitutie in de Franse kunst, 1850-1910, 19 February-19 June 2016
Paris, Musée d'Orsay, Splendeurs et misères. Images de la prostitution, 1850-1910, 22 September 2015-17 January 2016
The Hague, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Herkomst: Ivo Bouwman, 16 February-12 May 2013
Laren, Singer Museum, Sluijters, 10 September 2011-5 February 2012, no. 7
Enschede, Rijksmuseum Twenthe, De groote expressie. Schilderijen van Van Gogh, Bernard, Israels, Puvis de Chavannes, Van Rappard, Sluijters en Von Stuck uit het Van Gogh Museum, 19 September 1998-11 April 1999
The Hague, Pulchri Studio, Ivo Bouwman: twintig jaar kunsthandelaar, 1972-1992, 23 May-14 June 1992, no. zonder nr.
Haarlem, Frans Hals Museum, Jan Sluijters 1881-1957, 15 August-27 September 1981, no. 4
s Hertogenbosch, Noordbrabants Museum, Jan Sluijters 1881-1957, 6 June-26 July 1981, no. 4
Utrecht, Centraal Museum, Van Gogh tot Cobra. Nederlandse schilderkunst 1880-1950, 14 February-20 April 1981, no. 191
The Hague, Kunsthandel Ivo Bouwman, Jan Sluijters, 17 November 1976-1 January 1977, no. 4
s Hertogenbosch, Noordbrabants Museum, Jan Sluijters, 11 November-17 December 1972, no. 2
Mechelen, Cultureel Centrum Burgemeester Antoon Spinoy, Fauvisme in de Europese kunst, 14 September-16 November 1969, no. 100
Laren, Singer Museum, Jan Sluijters, 17 December 1966-12 February 1967, no. 28
Gouda, Stedelijk Museum het Catharina Gasthuis, Tentoonstelling van werken van Jan Sluijters. Schilderijen en tekeningen., 10 June-31 July 1960, no. 22
Paris, Institut Néerlandais, Exposition Jan Sluijters (1881-1957), 28 April-29 May 1960, no. 1
Haarlem, Kunsthandel J.R. Bier, Jan Sluijters, 5 July-7 September 1958, no. 7
Eindhoven, Van Abbemuseum, Nieuwe beweging : Nederlandse schilderkunst om 1910, 17 December 1955-13 February 1956, no. 86
The Hague, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Nieuwe beweging : Nederlandse schilderkunst om 1910, 20 October-12 December 1955, no. 86
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Jan Sluijters. La Joie de Peindre, 17 December 1951-3 February 1952, no. 2
Arnhem, Vereeniging voor Beeldende Kunst (Arnhem), Jan Sluijters, 29 July-1 September 1950, no. 4
The Hague, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Facetten van hedendaagse schilderkunst, 25 July-8 August 1949, no. 258
Luik, Musée des Beaux-Arts (Liège), Salon triennal de Belgique 1947 : rétrospective Jan Sluyters, Robert Crommelynck, 12 April-11 May 1947, no. 1
The Hague, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Jan Sluijters, December 1941-January 1942, no. 2
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Jan Sluijters 1881-1941 : eere-tentoonstelling in het Stedelijk Museum, 5 April-11 May 1941, no. 3
Eindhoven, Van Abbemuseum, Jan Sluijters, 24 March-25 April 1938, no. 17
Amsterdam, Gebouw Leesmuseum, Tentoonstelling van schilderijen van Jan Sluijters, 29 February-22 March 1936, no. 58
Amsterdam, Gebouw voor Beeldende Kunst, Overzicht van het werk van Jan Sluijters, November-December 1923
The Hague, Kunstkring Hollando-Belge, Tentoonstelling Jan Sluijters, December 1916, no. 2
The Hague, Kunstzaal J.C. Schüller en Eisenloeffel, Jan Sluijters, 14 April-3 May 1913, no. 44
Rotterdam, Kunsthandel Meylink, [Jan Sluijters in de Kunstzaal Meylink te Rotterdam], March 1912
Utrecht, Kunsthandel A. van Gelder, Jan Sluijters. Tentoonstelling van schilderijen en tekeningen vervaardigd op zijn kunstreis Spanje, Italië en Parijs, March-6 April 1907, no. 13
Reynaerts, Jenny, Mirror of reality : 19th-century painting in the Netherlands, [Amsterdam], 2019, p. 376-377
Reynaerts, Jenny, Spiegel van de werkelijkheid : 19de-eeuwse schilderkunst in Nederland, [Amsterdam], 2019, p. 376-377
Berger, Helewise, Jong, Karlijn de, Hopmans, Anita, Coppes, Wietse, Jan Sluijters : de wilde jaren, Zwolle, 2018, p. 39
Thomson, Richard, Bakker, Nienke, Pludermacher, Isolde, Easy virtue : prostitution in French art 1850-1910, Amsterdam, 2016, p. 149
Thomson, Richard, Bakker, Nienke, Pludermacher, Isolde, Lichte zeden : prostitutie in de Franse kunst 1850-1910, Amsterdam, 2016, p. 149, 152, 157, 179
Metz, Karlien, Lienden, Anne van, Lorm, Jan Rudolph de, Roodenburg-Schadd, Caroline, Leo Gestel 1881-1941, Bussum, 2015, p. 27
Thomson, Richard, Houbre, Gabrielle, Bakker, Nienke, Splendeurs & misères : images of prostitution in France, 1850-1910, Paris, 2015, p. 38-39, 132, 286
Raad, J. de, Raassen-Kruimel, Emke, Vries, Jan de, Jan Sluijters, 1881-1957, Bussum, 2011, p. 34-37, 144
Tuijn, Marguerite, Hartog, H. den, Prix de Rome : MDCCCVIII-MMVIII, Amsterdam, 2008, p. 93-94, 96
Blokland, Ann, Colen, D., Raad, J. de, Jan Sluijters : schilder met verve, Laren ; Zwolle, 1999, p. 27, 30-31, 80-85, 114, 142, 144, 147, 161, 202
Leeuw, Ronald de, Tilborgh, Louis van, Esner, Rachel, Becker, Edwin, Heugten, Sjraar van, Leeman, Fred, Vriend, Anita, Van Gogh Museum Journal 1995, Amsterdam, 1995, p. 202-203
Leeuw, Ronald de, Van Gogh Museum : schilderijen en pastels, Zwolle, 1993, p. 262-263
Montens, A.B., Ivo Bouwman : twintig jaar kunsthandelaar, Den Haag, 1992, p. 7, 10, 60-61
Hopmans, Anita, Jan Sluijters 1881-1957 : aquarellen en tekeningen, Zwolle, 1991, p. 22, 78, 81-82
Clerq, H. de, Jan Sluyters en tijdgenoten, Den Haag, 1991, p. 74-75
Leeuw, Ronald de, Aanwinsten/Acquisitions, Zwolle, 1991, p. 9, 60-61, 74, 77
Bodt, Saskia de, Koldeweij, J., Museumaanwinsten : Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, Amsterdam, p. 248-249, 254
Nederlandse Rijksmusea 1987, Amsterdam, 1988, p. 93, 103
Nieuwe aanwinst, [unpaged]
Bakker, Noortje, Boeleman, I., Boven, M. van, Couvée, D.H., Trappeniers, M.S., Jan Sluijters 1881-1957, Haarlem ; 's-Hertogenbosch, 1981, p. 35-36
Bakker, Noortje, Juffermans, J., Jan Sluyters : schilder, Mijdrecht, 1981, p. 22, 82
Leeuw, Ronald de, Hágu-ha Kara inshô-ha e : Oranda kindai-kaigaten = Impressionists and post-impressionists from the Netherlands, Tokyo, 1980, [unpaged]
Imanse, Geurt, Van Gogh tot Cobra : Nederlandse schilderkunst 1880-1950, [s.l.], 1980, p. 98, 100, 310
Langui, E., Leymarie, J., Fauvisme in de Europese kunst, Mechelen, 1969, no. 100
Wessem, J.N. van, Jan Sluijters, Amsterdam, 1966, p. 6
Wessem, J.N. van, Jan Sluijters 17 december 1881-8 mei 1957 : catalogus, Laren, 1966, p. 6
Nieuwe beweging : Nederlandse schilderkunst om 1910, Eindhoven, [1955], [unpaged]
Jan Sluijters 1881-1941 : eere-tentoonstelling in het Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1941, p. 7
Reynaerts, Jenny, Mirror of reality : 19th-century painting in the Netherlands, [Amsterdam], 2019, p. 376-377
Reynaerts, Jenny, Spiegel van de werkelijkheid : 19de-eeuwse schilderkunst in Nederland, [Amsterdam], 2019, p. 376-377
Berger, Helewise, Jong, Karlijn de, Hopmans, Anita, Coppes, Wietse, Jan Sluijters : de wilde jaren, Zwolle, 2018, p. 39
Thomson, Richard, Bakker, Nienke, Pludermacher, Isolde, Easy virtue : prostitution in French art 1850-1910, Amsterdam, 2016, p. 149
Thomson, Richard, Bakker, Nienke, Pludermacher, Isolde, Lichte zeden : prostitutie in de Franse kunst 1850-1910, Amsterdam, 2016, p. 149, 152, 157, 179
Metz, Karlien, Lienden, Anne van, Lorm, Jan Rudolph de, Roodenburg-Schadd, Caroline, Leo Gestel 1881-1941, Bussum, 2015, p. 27
Thomson, Richard, Houbre, Gabrielle, Bakker, Nienke, Splendeurs & misères : images of prostitution in France, 1850-1910, Paris, 2015, p. 38-39, 132, 286
Raad, J. de, Raassen-Kruimel, Emke, Vries, Jan de, Jan Sluijters, 1881-1957, Bussum, 2011, p. 34-37, 144
Tuijn, Marguerite, Hartog, H. den, Prix de Rome : MDCCCVIII-MMVIII, Amsterdam, 2008, p. 93-94, 96
Blokland, Ann, Colen, D., Raad, J. de, Jan Sluijters : schilder met verve, Laren ; Zwolle, 1999, p. 27, 30-31, 80-85, 114, 142, 144, 147, 161, 202
Leeuw, Ronald de, Tilborgh, Louis van, Esner, Rachel, Becker, Edwin, Heugten, Sjraar van, Leeman, Fred, Vriend, Anita, Van Gogh Museum Journal 1995, Amsterdam, 1995, p. 202-203
Leeuw, Ronald de, Van Gogh Museum : schilderijen en pastels, Zwolle, 1993, p. 262-263
Montens, A.B., Ivo Bouwman : twintig jaar kunsthandelaar, Den Haag, 1992, p. 7, 10, 60-61
Hopmans, Anita, Jan Sluijters 1881-1957 : aquarellen en tekeningen, Zwolle, 1991, p. 22, 78, 81-82
Clerq, H. de, Jan Sluyters en tijdgenoten, Den Haag, 1991, p. 74-75
Leeuw, Ronald de, Aanwinsten/Acquisitions, Zwolle, 1991, p. 9, 60-61, 74, 77
Bodt, Saskia de, Koldeweij, J., Museumaanwinsten : Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, Amsterdam, p. 248-249, 254
Nederlandse Rijksmusea 1987, Amsterdam, 1988, p. 93, 103
Nieuwe aanwinst, [unpaged]
Bakker, Noortje, Boeleman, I., Boven, M. van, Couvée, D.H., Trappeniers, M.S., Jan Sluijters 1881-1957, Haarlem ; 's-Hertogenbosch, 1981, p. 35-36
Bakker, Noortje, Juffermans, J., Jan Sluyters : schilder, Mijdrecht, 1981, p. 22, 82
Leeuw, Ronald de, Hágu-ha Kara inshô-ha e : Oranda kindai-kaigaten = Impressionists and post-impressionists from the Netherlands, Tokyo, 1980, [unpaged]
Imanse, Geurt, Van Gogh tot Cobra : Nederlandse schilderkunst 1880-1950, [s.l.], 1980, p. 98, 100, 310
Langui, E., Leymarie, J., Fauvisme in de Europese kunst, Mechelen, 1969, no. 100
Wessem, J.N. van, Jan Sluijters, Amsterdam, 1966, p. 6
Wessem, J.N. van, Jan Sluijters 17 december 1881-8 mei 1957 : catalogus, Laren, 1966, p. 6
Nieuwe beweging : Nederlandse schilderkunst om 1910, Eindhoven, [1955], [unpaged]
Jan Sluijters 1881-1941 : eere-tentoonstelling in het Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1941, p. 7