Breitner

Breitner

George Hendrik Breitner (1857–1923) was a Dutch painter and photographer, best known as a painter of modern urban life in Amsterdam. By frequently choosing ‘ordinary’ people as his subjects, he became known as the painter of the people.

From 1889 onwards, Breitner used photography as a source of inspiration for his paintings. The photographic perspective and the partially cropped figures, as seen in The Singel Bridge near Paleisstraat in Amsterdam, were innovative at the time. His oeuvre consists of realistic cityscapes, street scenes and his famous kimono girls.

Girl in a White Kimono

In addition to his street scenes, Breitner is also renowned for his paintings of girls wearing red, white or blue kimonos. The Rijksmuseum collection includes Girl in a White Kimono, one of the thirteen so-called kimono girls. In 2016, these thirteen works were shown side by side for the first time at the Rijksmuseum.

The model for these paintings was Geesje Kwak, an Amsterdam domestic servant. In Girl in a White Kimono, Geesje reclines gracefully on a divan. Her young, innocent face and slender figure strongly contribute to the sense of delicate sensuality that characterises all these paintings.

On this page you will find products inspired by Breitner’s art collection at the Rijksmuseum. Girl in a White Kimono features across a range of these items. Will you choose a Japanese dressing gown? Or will a near-lifelike giclée of Girl in a White Kimono soon be hanging on your wall?