author
Frits Lugt
1884–1970
A self-taught Dutch collector and art historian, he became one of the great authorities on old master drawings and prints. His passion for careful looking also led to reference works and collections that still matter today.
1 Audiobook
Rembrandt's Amsterdam
by Frits Lugt
About the author
Born in Amsterdam in 1884, Frederik Johannes "Frits" Lugt was a Dutch collector, connoisseur, and art historian with a special gift for drawings and prints. He was largely self-taught, yet he built an exceptional reputation through close study, sharp judgment, and a lifelong dedication to works on paper.
Lugt is especially remembered for his work on northern European prints and drawings, for his expertise on Rembrandt, and for creating important research tools on collectors' marks and sale catalogues. Together with his wife Jacoba "To" Lugt-Klever, he also founded the Fondation Custodia in Paris in 1947, creating a home for a remarkable collection and for ongoing art-historical research.
He died in 1970 in Paris. His legacy lives on not only in the artworks he gathered, but also in the way he helped scholars, curators, and collectors study the history of art with greater care and precision.