Collecting San Diego
Selections from the Dijkstra Fine Art Collection
Collecting San Diego is an initiative of the History Center to bring those remarkable collectors and collections that reflect San Diego’s history past, present, and future to light.
The first exhibition in this series features selections from the collection of Sandra and Bram Dijkstra. The couple, who reside in San Diego North County, have built an impressive assemblage of American and European art that includes many works by San Diego-area artists.
The Dijkstra’s were ahead of the curve in collecting the work of San Diego’s early artists, at a time when San Diego was still stereotyped as a region that had not produced serious art. The couple have always searched out art that moved them, rather than being driven by recognizable ‘’names.” As a result, they were able to gather many examples by forgotten and undervalued San Diego artists, including many women.
This selection, only part of their extensive San Diego collection, spans over 100 years. The works reveal how artists have interpreted San Diego’s unique landscape, culture, and growth, and demonstrate their engagement with new ideas in modern and contemporary art.