The Jopie Huisman Museum is dedicated to the work and life of the Frisian autodidactic master painter Jopie Huisman. This scrap dealer wanted to tell with his work the history of the people, which he defined in his paintings. Since its foundation, the museum has welcomed more than 2 million visitors!

Jopie does not want anymore

After stealing three of his works at an exhibition in the South of the Netherlands, Jopie decided never to exhibit his paintings again. To his friends, his works were much too important to not be exhibited and so they decided that there had to be a museum. Preferably in Workum, the birthplace of Jopie Huisman.

For a broad audience

The Foundation Jopie Huisman Museum was founded in 1986 and the collection consisted of drawings, paintings and art collections. This first museum was in the old Sleeswijckhuys from the 17th century. It was the first museum in the Netherlands for a still living artist. The number of visitors was enormous and it soon became apparent that the magnificent Sleeswijckhuys was much too small for all admirers.

Moving and remodeling

Today's museum is the second museum, opened in 1992 and expanded in 2001. Jopie Huisman died on September 29, 2000, causing him to miss the opening of his second museum. The new section is set up just as the barn at Jopies Farm in Herbayum used to look like.

Inspiration in things

Here you can see things that appear in the painter's works: the old milking shorts, the children's shoes next to the big 'old man shoes', the bulging red shirt that made him so famous, the fish traps and the dolls. Every year a new theme exhibition takes place in this part of the museum. It will also feature a film about the life and work of Jopie.
You can also take a 25 km bike ride to the places found on the work of Jopie Huisman.