author
Frits Lugt
1884–1970
Drawn to art from childhood, he became one of the great collector-scholars of prints and drawings, with a special gift for spotting, preserving, and documenting Old Master works. His name still matters to art lovers because the tools and collections he built continue to guide research today.
1 Audiobook
Rembrandt's Amsterdam
by Frits Lugt
About the author
Born in Amsterdam in 1884, Frits Lugt was a Dutch collector, art historian, and connoisseur who largely taught himself. He developed an early passion for art—especially Rembrandt—and went on to become a leading expert on drawings and prints from the Dutch and Northern European traditions.
Lugt is best remembered not only for the works he collected, but also for the reference books he created for other scholars and collectors. His studies of collectors' marks and auction catalogues became standard tools in the field, and his careful eye helped shape modern understanding of Old Master drawings and prints.
In 1947, he and his wife Jacoba Lugt-Klever founded the Fondation Custodia in Paris to house and support their collection. That institution remains one of his strongest legacies: a place built from private passion, deep knowledge, and a lifelong commitment to the study of art.