Singer Laren

Museum of 19th-century painting in neighbouring Laren, a few minutes by bike

Singer Laren is a museum and concert hall in neighbouring Laren, about 5 km from Blaricum by bike along cycle paths through the Gooi heathland. Founded by American philanthropists William and Anna Singer, the museum specialises in 19th-century Dutch painting — particularly the Hague School and Amsterdam Impressionists — and holds one of the finest collections of its kind in the Netherlands.

The building is handsome and the collection well-presented. Artists represented include Jozef Israëls, Anton Mauve, and George Hendrik Breitner. The concert hall hosts chamber music and other events. The café and garden are pleasant on a warm day. Easily combined with a walk or cycle through the surrounding heathland.

things to do museum art
A story
Singer Laren is named after the American painter William Henry Singer Jr., who moved to Laren in 1901 with his wife Anna, a wealthy Pittsburgh heiress. Laren was then a major centre of the Dutch and international artist colony — Laren had been a favourite of the Hague School painters, and by 1900 was drawing artists from across Europe. Singer built the museum and concert hall in the 1950s to house his collection and create a cultural venue for the village. The museum's collection of Hague School and Amsterdam Impressionist painting is now considered one of the best in the Netherlands.