Our museum

From art collector to museum

Henk and Erna Plenter were true art collectors. The fact that sometimes things went wrong with their art purchases was an important reason for starting Museum Valse Kunst. A museum featuring a collection of artworks, real and fake, art and kitsch, completely unique in the Netherlands! The collection of Museum Valse Kunst consists of all kinds of artworks: fine art, paintings, etchings, lithographs and watercolours. The collection even contains a forged Rietveld chair. And all these works of art tell their own story.

Paintings and glass art

Henk and Erna Plenter were avid collectors of paintings, engravings and contemporary glass art. After purchasing art for many years, their house was starting to become too small. After stubbing her toe three times on the art objects, Erna decided that she’d had enough. She set an ultimatum: either they would move to a bigger house, or they would sell part of the collection. “Or,” said Henk, “we’ll start a museum.”

Unique fake art

After the municipal redivision in 1998, the former town hall of the Vledder municipality became available. At that time, Henk and Erna Plenter were looking for a location to house their art collection. They bought the building located on the Brink, and this is where “Museums Vledder” was established. Museums Vledder housed various collections: graphic art, glass art, art from Drenthe and, when it turned out that Henk and Erna had been conned a few times when purchasing art, fake art as well.

Today, Museum Valse Kunst owns a unique collection of forgeries. Art lovers who have been conned into buying fake art have been coming from all over the country to offer up their “art”. The collection has also been growing thanks to donations from visitors and pieces that have been withdrawn by auction houses. The museum is also in contact with the National Police’s Art and Antiques team.

Art from Drenthe

After the death of Henk Plenter in 2010, the museum was passed to the Foundation Museums Vledder. The graphic arts section was largely abandoned. The contemporary Glass Art was given a whole separate section. Henk’s father, Harm Hindrik Plenter, was a great lover of art from Drenthe. The part which Henk inherited from his parents marked the beginning of his own collection of art from Drenthe. In the art café, you will find works by renowned painters such as Roessingh, Jannes de Vries, Jan Zondag, Reinhart Dozy and Eugène Charmon (pseudonym of Jan Worst), Stengelin, Torie and Wiegers.