The Europe of Isaac Israels - Feb. 16, 2026
From 24 April to 30 August 2026, Kröller-Müller Museum will present an exhibition dedicated to the Dutch artist Isaac Israels. Focusing on his travels across Europe. Art, literature, and travel shaped his life (1865–1934). In 1877, Isaac took his first European journey by train, sparking a passion for travel.
Visitors follow Israels’ journeys across Europe through his eyes. He captured impressions he encountered in sketchbooks and on paper, later developing them into lively works on canvas. Themes explored include Israels’ knowledge of European literature, migration across Europe in the early twentieth century, and the status of the migrant during those turbulent decades. The exhibition brings together a selection of paintings and drawings from the museum’s collection alongside important loans from other museums and private collections.
Early years
Art, literature, and travel shaped the life of Isaac Israels (1865–1934). In 1877, at the age of thirteen, Isaac embarked on his first European journey by train with his parents—painter Jozef Israëls and Aleida Israëls-Schaap—and his sister Mathilde. This awakened the natural restlessness of the young Israels and sparked a lifelong passion for travel. His profound love of European literature, combined with his remarkable knowledge of it, enabled him to master several languages.
European travel
In addition to two longer stays in Paris (1904–1913) and London (1913–1915), where he rented a studio, Israels visited many other places briefly. He travelled to Germany, Italy, and Austria, but also to countries less frequently visited by artists, such as Spain, Denmark, and Sweden. Even during the First World War, he continued to travel with a laissez-passer, much to the astonishment of his friends, who wondered whether he realized that a war was raging. Travelling remained a passion throughout his life and found clear expression in his art.