Went to Museum More in Gorssel – Modern Realism, and I’d never been. Realism has never actually been dead in the 20th century, of course, even though the art pundits organised a funeral for it with recurring frequency. The MORE people had a retrospective of the work of Pat Andrea – women in weird shapes, from the 1960s to the present day.

Also went to Castle Ruurlo, a beautifully renovated castle that belongs to the MORE people. It is all dedicated to Carel Willink. ‘A grand master of stature like Carel Willink deserves a monumental home‘ it says on the MORE website. Fantasy landscapes, fantasy women, fantasy women in fantasy landscapes. Gorgeous shapes, this I must say, painted with loving attention to detail since the 1920s up to around 1980.

For me, these artists exemplify the way the 20th century treated women: as objects of male fantasy. Which is not an original statement, but still: both visits were itch-inducing. For how can it be that these exhibitions don’t call them on this?