Adri Pieck painted and spoke up for animals

Editors · 9 October 2026

From 16 October, Museum Amersfoort brings together its own works and a private collection. The artist behind a largely forgotten name comes into view.

Museum Amersfoort, formerly Museum Flehite, in 2024; this is not an exhibition image. · Photo: Ymblanter / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image

From 16 October 2026 to 14 March 2027, Museum Amersfoort presents Adri Pieck – Artist and Activist. Adri Pieck (1894–1982) painted landscapes, city views, animals and people. According to the museum, her work has remained largely unknown beyond the region.

For the first time, the museum brings its works together with pieces from the Van der Horst Collection. Different styles, techniques and subjects can thus be seen side by side. Two self-portraits and De Stad ontwaakt are among the works named from the museum’s collection.

“Activist” in the title is not just a label. Pieck was a vegetarian and made her work available to animal protection groups, the Anti-Draft-Dog League and the anti-vivisection movement. Subject and conviction meet in her life, without making every painting a manifesto.

The museum building in 2019, before renovation and renaming; this is not a work by Adri Pieck. · Photo: FrDr / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image

The exhibition also asks why her cousin Anton Pieck remains widely remembered while she is far less familiar. The museum presents her through her own visual language and social commitments, not only through a family connection.

Museum Amersfoort is at Westsingel 50. On Saturday 17 October it holds a free city celebration from 10 am to 5 pm, including short tours about Pieck and an animal-portrait activity. Normal visiting information lists opening Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm.