Peter Struycken

Mrs. Schröder-Schräder, Utrecht, Netherlands (acquired by 1963)

Christie’s Amsterdam, May 26, 1993

Acquired from the above by the present owner

Utrecht, Centraal Museum, 1988, no. 26186 (on loan until March 9, 1993)

Modern and contemporary art, Christie’s Amsterdam 26 May 1993, no. 377, p. 125

C. Blotkamp, Daubigny, van Doesburg, Daniëls... en 88 andere hoogtepunten uit de collectie moderne kunst van het Centraal Museum, Utrecht 1987, pp. 164-165 (first version illustrated)

• Early and iconic example of Peter Struycken’s systematic approach to abstraction, combining mathematical precision with visual rhythm
• Personally commissioned by Truus Schröder-Schräder after viewing the original work at the Centraal Museum, reflecting its strong historical and architectural significance
• Closely linked the legacy of Dutch modernism

Executed in 1963, Wetmatige Beweging is an early example of Peter Struycken’s systematic investigations into structure and perception. A pivotal figure in Dutch post-war art, Struycken emerged in the 1960s with a mathematically driven practice exploring visual rhythm, order, and variation - often through the use of repetition and seriality. Rendered in stark black and white, the work exemplifies Struycken’s artistic approach to produce complex optical effects and a sense of controlled movement.

This work holds particular historical and personal resonance. Truus Schröder-Schräder has seen the original version of Wetmatige Beweging at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht and, deeply impressed by the minimal yet impressive composition, commissioned Struycken to create a second version for her own collection. The first version had been gifted to the museum by Gerrit Th. Rietveld in 1963. The present work, completed that same year, was loaned by Schröder-Schräder to the Centraal Museum in 1988, where it remained until 1993.