A man who never sang his own praises, but left a remarkable legacy in Dutch literary history.This is how family members describe the artist Bernard Reith (1894 - 1974), whose productivity in art and illustration is still admired and appreciated today. Despite this legacy, little is known about Reith as a person. With the recent opening of the exhibition Master of Variation in the Maastricht University (UM) administration building, Reith's nephew and namesake, together with his son, shed light on the Reith they knew.

In his work, the artist showed a huge variety of styles, genres and artistic media. From the quirkiness of children's magazine OKKI to his illustrations for Louis Couperus' symbolist fairy tales Psyche and Fidessa - landmarks in Dutch literary history.Known for his ability to bring stories to life, Reith's creations captured the hearts of many. During his career, he produced thousands of illustrations, notably commissioned by Roman Catholic Boys' Orphanage in Tilburg and for the Catholic weekly the Katholieke Illustratie. Among the sources of his inspiration were books he collected by artists from the Golden Age of Illustration (1880-1930), including Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, Kay Nielsen and Willy Pogany. This collection of 56 books, unique in the Netherlands, is part of the artist's private library, part of UM's Special Collections.

Reith senior (80) reveals that his uncle had a passion for drawing from a young age, but his parents dissuaded him from pursuing a career in art. So he went into teaching, but his life and career ultimately revolved around art. "He just couldn't resist illustrating - he was incredibly good at drawing," Reith's cousin explains."When I saw the extent of his work, I realised that this is very special in the literary history of the Netherlands. Through my father, I discovered more and was taken on a journey of discovery into his work," says his second cousin Maarten Reith (51).

The exhibition shows a selection of unique pieces from UM's Special Collections and the Reith family archive. Master of Variation is on display until mid-June 2024 in the administration building at Minderbroedersberg 4-6 in Maastricht.

A video has also been made about this exhibition. 

Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Text:

Dr Bart Zwegers, curator Academic Heritage Maastricht University

Dr Odin L.M.J. Essers, curator Special Collections Maastricht University

Maryna Lamprecht MA, communications officer Special Collections Maastricht University