In his lecture, author David de Poel recounts the prodigious life of Johannes Esser, the striking art collector who also noticed Piet Mondrian's unique talent early on.
Johannes Esser (1877-1946) was Dutch chess champion, Mondrian discoverer, pioneer of plastic surgery and self-made millionaire. And yet he is hardly known to the general public.
Writer David de Poel (1973) has been part of the Esser family for almost two decades. At family gatherings, they could not stop talking about their remarkable father and grandfather. De Poel heard everything. When he found extraordinary letters and other documents in the estate, he decided to book the life of Johannes Esser to bring him out of anonymity once and for all. It resulted in I want to be king - The fortunes of the genius Johannes Esser (Also available at the Mondrian House museum shop.
De Poel previously published biographies The writer who flew over the soup. The life of Frans Pointl and Exercises in bravery, on René/Renate Stoute.
Early Mondrians
De bijzondere relatie tussen Johannes Esser en Piet Mondriaan komt hier onder andere tot uiting in negen vroege Mondriaans, uit de periode 1899-1908, die het Mondriaanhuis sinds 2022 in bezit heeft. Een aantal daarvan zijn momenteel te zien in de tentoonstelling Johannes Esser - Passionate idealist.
The Mondrian House had had the works on long-term loan from an heir of art collector Esser since 2010. After the death of this owner, they were in danger of being lost to the public. Through intensive contact with the heirs, we succeeded in permanently preserving the paintings and drawings for the Dutch public art collection. This way, everyone can continue to enjoy the unique development of this pioneer of abstract art.
Date: 25 January 2026
Time: 3pm
Costs: €3.50 p.p.
Location: Mondrian House Amersfoort (Kortegracht 11, Amersfoort)
