Oil paint on panel,

A long ago, as many fairy tales begin, a painting entered the collection of the Dordrechts Museum. View of Dordrecht, painted by Jan van Goyen, on loan from the government and from the former Goudstikker Collection. But the unexpected request from Goudstikker’s daughter-in-law to restitute this painting was honored. And so, after fifty years of loan, a permanent hole seemed to have been created in the collection.

But fairytales are supposed to have a happy ending. Peter Schoon refused to take down this painting and drank tea with the daughter-in-law to plead his case. Not only because this painting is one of Van Goyen’s best works, in which he seems to have virtually invented the lasting image of Holland, but especially because this river view in Dordrecht could not be missed. And so a seemingly impossible assignment came about. Peter was given six months – with his own purchase budget of 75,000 euros – to find the agreed price of 3.5 million euros.

Give Dordrecht its view back, that is how Peter started his plea on March 12, 2008. A lottery was organized – the Van Goyen dates from 1651 – and everyone in the city could buy a ticket, from 16.51 euros to 165.10 euros or more. The city was covered with posters, a series of companies from Dordrecht participated, and the city provided a guarantee.

The fairytale ended well. The amount was found and six months later the View of Dordrecht left Dordrecht once more, by train, on a triumphal march towards Amsterdam, where it was shown as the great love of Dordrecht in the anniversary exhibition 125 Great Loves of the Rembrandt Association. To never leave the museum after returning to Dordrecht.

But the fairytale continues. Because this purchase, which was considered impossible, became a purchase by all residents of the city, who felt more connected than ever to each other, to the city where they lived, with the View of Dordrecht as a connecting link. Collecting with each other and for each other connected then and continues to connect to this day.