‘Seated Nude’ after Jan Sluijters (1881-1957).

Jan Sluijters (Johannes Carolus Bernardus) was a Dutch painter and was born in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (The Netherlands) on December 17, 1881 and died after a successful career in Amsterdam on May 8, 1957. He was not only a painter, he was also a draftsman and he designed posters and cartoons. His education started at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in the Netherlands in 1901. A few years later, Sluijters won the Prix de Rome, which enabled him to make many study trips throughout Europe. In 1911 Sluijters moved to Amsterdam and ten years later became a voting member of the Amsterdam artists’ association Arti et Amicitiae. Sluijters’ career continued to improve with several highlights. In 1933 he was appointed Officer in Order of Orange Nassau and later won the Grand Prix in Paris. Many years later, in 1952 he was again awarded a medal, he was made a Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion.

‘After’

The word after is often used in museums, art galleries and antique stores. The meaning is very simple, it is a copy of that specific artist’s work where the word ‘after’ is placed before or after the artist’s name. It is very important not to forget that the word ‘after’ has nothing to do with ‘faking’ the artist’s work.

An (unknown) artist can paint a copy of a famous work which is exhibited in a museum. This copy if not a fake, because the (unknown) artist is not claiming to be the original artist of the work. When the (unknown) artist wants to sell his own copy, the word ‘after’ is placed before or after the original artist’s work. Now, the work is not a fake, but a nicely made copy.

Using the word ‘after’ for copies has already been done for centuries. But there are different levels of ‘afters’. An ‘after’ can already be an ‘after’ when an (unknown) artist is copying in 2020 the work ‘The starry night’ by Van Gogh. The (unknown) artist is far removed from the original artist by time and association. A very high level of an ‘after’ is when the original artist is involved or approves the ‘after’. Even an original signature by the original artist can be placed on the ‘after’.

Even tough an ‘after’ is a copy, the value and quality can still be very high and ‘afters’ will stay highly collectible.