Adri Pieck - Artist and Activist
16 October 2026 – t/m 14 March 2026
Some stories gradually fade from view. With the exhibition ‘Adri Pieck – Artist and Activist’, we are changing that. Adriana Jacoba Pieck (1894–1982) forged her own path in both her art and her life. Yet very few people know her name. Discover her multifaceted work, filled with animals, nature, cityscapes, landscapes and people. Get to know the woman behind the art and her ideals.
Why is Anton Pieck still remembered, whilst his niece Adri Pieck has been all but forgotten? Adri wholeheartedly chose a life as an artist. She studied at the Rijksakademie voor Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam. Setting out from Amersfoort and the Gooi, she would head out with her easel. She painted landscapes, cityscapes, animals and people. Yet her work remains largely unknown outside the region.
Adri Pieck was not an artist who allowed herself to be guided by what others expected of her. She followed her own convictions, both in her art and in her life. That is precisely why her work may resonate more strongly today than ever before. – Iris Steinmeijer, Curator of Fine Art, Museum Amersfoort
For the first time, you can see works from the Museum Amersfoort collection alongside the Van der Horst Collection. This allows you to discover an artist who worked with a variety of styles, techniques and subjects.
Art and activism
Adri lives according to her convictions. She is a vegetarian and uses her art to champion the cause of animals. This was particularly remarkable in her day. She made her work available to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Anti-Draft Dog Association and the anti-vivisection movement.
Her commitment is also evident in small, everyday stories. After a rain shower, Adri would sometimes wait to go for a walk until the earthworms had disappeared back into the ground. During the Second World War, she saved her butter ration cards to give extra food to the cats in her neighbourhood.
A new perspective
There is growing attention being paid to female artists and to the role of art in society. That is why we are taking a fresh look at Adri Pieck and her work.
Discover the story of a maverick artist and activist who remained out of the spotlight for far too long.
On display from 16 October 2026
