Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 181 works by George Hendrik Breitner in our catalogue
In short
To the gallery's eye, George Hendrik Breitner's most famous painting is Girl in Red Kimono. MCJ (Marie) Jordan (1866-1948), The Artist's Wife (1905) and Self-portrait (1882) complete the trio every eye recognises. Of the 181 works by George Hendrik Breitner in our catalog, the gallery presents the 100 most famous below, each original with its year, its museum and what makes it unique.
In this oil on canvas painting, a woman lies on her side upon a bed. She wears a red kimono that provides a central point of color against the floral patterns of the bedding. The figure appears to be in a state of rest or sleep. To the left of the main subject, another person is partially visible, though their specific features remain indistinct. The room contains additional elements: a…
The room falls away into a deep, impenetrable black, leaving only the soft glow of light to define a single, intimate moment. A woman sits in the stillness, her form emerging from the darkness through a delicate play of light and shadow. The light catches the pale curve of her face and the gentle positioning of her hand, pulling her out of the gloom. There is a heavy, tactile quality…
The painting titled Self-portrait is a work by the artist George Hendrik Breitner. Created in 1882, this oil on canvas depicts the artist himself as the primary subject. The work is classified as a self-portrait, focusing on the physical likeness of George Hendrik Breitner through a direct representation of his own features.
is an oil on canvas work by the Dutch artist George Hendrik Breitner. Created about 1883, the painting captures a moment within a studio setting, characterized by a somber and intimate atmosphere. The composition focuses on the interaction between two figures and their immediate environment, utilizing a vertical orientation to organize the space.
Selfportrait is a painting by George Hendrik Breitner, executed around 1883/1884. This work functions as a direct representation of the artist, focusing on the subject's visage and upper torso. It captures a moment of raw introspection and fatigue through a close-up view of the man's head and neck.
A single window on the left spills a pale, grey light across a room frozen in time. It is a space of heavy fabrics and quiet dust, a domestic interior captured through the lens of a late 19th-century eye. The light does not dance; it settles. It falls upon the smooth surface of a tiled fireplace and the thick upholstery of chairs, casting deep, ink-black shadows into the corners of…
In Gatekeeper, George Hendrik Breitner employs a vertical portrait orientation to focus on the upper body and head of a single male figure. The composition utilizes a close-up, medium shot that establishes an intimate yet imposing depth. This tight framing forces a direct confrontation with the subject, whose posture and gaze suggest a state of intense contemplation or vigilance. He looks upward and slightly to the side, breaking the frontal…
Portrait of a Chanteuse is a work by George Hendrik Breitner. Created about 1880, this oil on canvas captures a singular, quiet moment. The subject is a chanteuse, a woman whose presence is felt through a vertical close-up portrait. She occupies the frame with a stillness that suggests the end of a performance or the weight of a long evening.
The oil painting titled Saar de Swart is a work by the Dutch artist George Hendrik Breitner. This portrait depicts Elizabeth Sara Clasina de Swart, a figure known in her own right as a sculptor. The work is dated about 1885.
Hussar on Horseback1885 · Rijksmuseum
12
Cavalryman in the dunes1880 · The Mesdag Collection
13
Sitting Nude with Red Cloth1888 · Groninger Museum
14
Rain and Wind1892 · Amsterdam Museum
15
Study for the portrait of the actress Theo Mann-Bouwmeester in the role of Francine de Riverolles1886 · Kunstmuseum Den Haag
16
Lying Nude1889 · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
17
Lauriergracht in Winter1891 · Dordrechts Museum
18
Portrait of Kitty van Vloten1886
19
Zelfportret1887
20
Bridge with Rain / Rain and Wind1887
21
Field Artillery1897 · Dordrechts Museum
22
Girl in white Kimono1893 · Rijksmuseum Twenthe
23
Meisjes in de sneeuw1894
24
Piling at Van Diemen Street (near the IJ)1897
25
Marie Anne Henriette Breitner (geb.1882-06-14), the Painter's Half-sister1906 · Rijksmuseum
26
Portrait of a Girl1883 · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
27
Cavalry1888 · Kunstmuseum
28
Self portrait
29
Reclining nude1887 · Kunstmuseum
30
Flowers
31
The Rokin in Amsterdam1897 · Rijksmuseum
32
Street in Montmartre, Paris, George Hendrik Breitner, c. 1880 - c. 19231923 · Rijksmuseum
33
Two Children in the Dune1884 · Teylers Museum
34
Twee meisjes met bruine kan1885
35
Nude1885 · Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
36
Selfportait with pince-nez1882 · Kunstmuseum Den Haag
37
The horse of Montmartre1884
38
Neighborhood in Rijswijk Near the Hague1880 · Rijksmuseum
39
The Wooden Shoes1884 · Rijksmuseum
40
Cavalry at Rest1885 · Rijksmuseum
41
The Cannon Shot1887 · Groninger Museum
42
Exhibition1891 · Amsterdam Museum
43
The bridge crossing the Waalseilandsgracht near the Oude Schans, Amsterdam1887
44
Damesportret1888
45
Naakt1888
46
Two Women1890 · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
47
Seated Half-Nude1892
48
An Evening on the Dam in Amsterdam1890 · Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
49
Horse Trams on Dam Square in Amsterdam at Night1890 · Centraal Museum
50
The Dam1891
51
View of the Oosterpark in Amsterdam in the Snow1892 · Rijksmuseum
52
Female nude1892
53
Landscape with Trees1897
54
Field Artillery1895
55
Work on the Van Diemenstraat1897 · Amsterdam Museum
56
Breakthrough of the Raadhuisstraat in the Winter1898 · Amsterdam Museum
57
Breakthrough Raadhuisstraat1898 · Amsterdam Museum
58
View of the Dam.1898 · Museum Gouda
59
The Dam in Amsterdam1893 · Singer Laren
60
Pile drivers1897 · Amsterdam Museum
61
Dam Square Amsterdam in the evening1897 · Dordrechts Museum
62
Artillerie op een rit door de heide1897
63
Artillerie op de heide1897
64
The Red Kimono1893
65
De Singel bij de Paleisstraat te Amsterdam bij avond1897 · Rijksmuseum
66
Two White Horses1896 · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
67
Dam Square1898 · Amsterdam Museum
68
Factory girls1898
69
Standing nude1893
70
The Dam in Amsterdam1895
71
Women on the Rokin1895 · Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
72
Tram Horses on Dam Square in Amsterdam1894
73
Hilly Landscape in Storm1900
74
Heiwerk1900
75
Korte Prinsengracht near the Brouwersgracht in Amsterdam1899 · Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
76
Fair on the Haarlemmerplein1903 · Amsterdam Museum
77
Warehouses, Amsterdam1901 · Toledo Museum of Art
78
Suburb of Amsterdam1901 · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
79
Timber-rafts in the Snow near Zandhoek1903 · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
80
The new Teertuinen in winter1904 · Amsterdam Museum
81
View in Amsterdam1901 · Rijksmuseum
82
Hussars in the Open Field1901 · Rijksmuseum
83
Artillery on Maneuver1901 · Rijksmuseum
84
Landscape near Waalsdorp, with Soldiers on Maneuver1901 · Rijksmuseum
85
A Heath Landscape, Presumably in Drenthe1901 · Rijksmuseum
86
Meadow Landscape1901 · Rijksmuseum
87
Riders on the heath near Schaarsbergen1900
88
Straat in Aanbouw1902 · Cleveland Museum of Art
89
Kalverstraat with FlagsKunstmuseum Den Haag
90
Pagina 9: Blanco1906 · Rijksmuseum
91
Neighborhood in the Jordaan, AmsterdamRijksmuseum
92
Girl in Red Kimono1893
93
The Old Beurs at Evening1891 · Rijksmuseum
94
Lunchtime at the Building Site on the Van Diemenstraat in Amsterdam, George Hendrik Breitner, 18971897
95
Distribution of Soup1882
96
Promenade deck with three ladies1897
97
The Rokin in Amsterdam1923 · Rijksmuseum
98
Winter in Amsterdam1900 · Rijksmuseum
99
Demolition in the Oudezijds Achterburgwal1903
100
An Elegant Lady Strolling along a Canal in Amsterdam1895
The four subjects that come back most often in these originals, each with its finest example.
The 8 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by George Hendrik Breitner | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Rijksmuseum |
Amsterdam | 56 | MCJ (Marie) Jordan (1866-1948), The Artist's Wife, Hussar on Horseback, Marie Anne Henriette Breitner (geb.1882-06-14), the Painter's Half-sister |
 Amsterdam Museum |
Amsterdam | 10 | Saar de Swart, Rain and Wind, Exhibition |
 Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen |
Rotterdam | 9 | Self-portrait, In the Studio, Lying Nude |
 Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp |
Antwerp | 5 | Portrait of a Chanteuse, Nude, An Evening on the Dam in Amsterdam |
 Dordrechts Museum |
Dordrecht | 6 | Selfportrait, Lauriergracht in Winter, Field Artillery |
 Kunstmuseum Den Haag |
The Hague | 3 | Study for the portrait of the actress Theo Mann-Bouwmeester in the role of Francine de Riverolles, Selfportait with pince-nez, Kalverstraat with Flags |
 Groninger Museum |
Groningen | 2 | Sitting Nude with Red Cloth, The Cannon Shot |
 Kunstmuseum |
The Hague | 2 | Cavalry, Reclining nude |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
The painting titled Self-portrait is a work by the artist George Hendrik Breitner. Created in 1882, this oil on canvas depicts the artist himself as the primary subject. The work is classified as a self-portrait, focusing on the physical likeness of George Hendrik Breitner through a direct representation of his own features.
The atmosphere thickens as we encounter Rain and Wind, a work by the Dutch artist George Hendrik Breitner. Created about 1892, this oil painting captures a fleeting moment of struggle against the elements. The scene unfolds along a canal-side walkway, where the very air seems to swirl with the force of a sudden storm. Three women move through the damp air, their figures caught in the restless energy of a…
The room falls away into a deep, impenetrable black, leaving only the soft glow of light to define a single, intimate moment. A woman sits in the stillness, her form emerging from the darkness through a delicate play of light and shadow. The light catches the pale curve of her face and the gentle positioning of her hand, pulling her out of the gloom. There is a heavy, tactile quality…
Street in Montmartre, Paris. To the right, a street rises up the hill.
Girl in Red Kimono. MCJ (Marie) Jordan (1866-1948), The Artist's Wife (1905) and Self-portrait (1882) come next.
Girl in Red Kimono, MCJ (Marie) Jordan (1866-1948), The Artist's Wife, Self-portrait, In the Studio, Selfportrait, Het paard van Montmartre, De anatomische les (naar Rembrandt), Gatekeeper, Portrait of a Chanteuse and Saar de Swart. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
Our catalog holds 181 works by George Hendrik Breitner, dated from 1880 to 1923.
Mostly in Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam), Amsterdam Museum (Amsterdam) and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (Rotterdam). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1890s: 41 of the 100 works on this page were made then, Rain and Wind among them.
On this page, the earliest is Portrait of a Chanteuse (1880) and the latest Street in Montmartre, Paris, George Hendrik Breitner, c. 1880 - c. 1923 (1923).
Woman (12), Portrait (8) and Amsterdam (6), across the 100 works on this page.
Oil On Canvas, for 22 of the 100 works on this page.
Impressionism, judging by the originals on this page.
MCJ (Marie) Jordan (1866-1948), The Artist's Wife, Hussar on Horseback and Marie Anne Henriette Breitner (geb.1882-06-14), the Painter's Half-sister: the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam holds 21 of the works on this page.
George Hendrik Breitner stands as one of the most distinctive voices in Dutch art at the turn of the century, renowned for his unflinching depictions of everyday life within the bustling cityscape of Amsterdam. Born in Rotterdam in 1857 amidst challenging circumstances—his father’s bankruptcy profoundly impacting his family—Breitner eschewed a traditional academic path, prioritizing instead a self-directed artistic journey that would eventually redefine Dutch realism. This unconventional upbringing instilled in him an unwavering commitment to observation and a profound empathy for the struggles faced by ordinary people, themes that permeate throughout his entire oeuvre.
His early years were marked by a raw, burgeoning talent that led him to the Hague Academy of Fine Arts in 1876. Under the mentorship of Willem Maris, a pivotal figure in the Hague School, Breitner began to master the nuances of tonal harmony and atmospheric perspective. However, his spirit was too restless for the confines of strict academicism; his radical, sometimes brusque behavior even led to his expulsion from the Academy of Visual Arts in 1880. Rather than stifling him, this friction fueled a stylistic evolution characterized by bold brushstrokes and an expressive use of color that sought to convey raw emotion rather than mere precise representation.
As Breitner moved to Amsterdam in 1886, his artistic vision underwent a profound transformation, as he began to capture the very pulse of the city. He became the leading exponent of Amsterdam Impressionism, a movement that sought to translate the fleeting energy of urban life onto canvas. What set Breitner apart from his contemporaries was his innovative embrace of photography. Beginning in 1889, he meticulously documented Amsterdam's streets and inhabitants through the lens of his camera, using the medium as a crucial tool for study and inspiration.
This photographic eye deeply influenced his painterly technique. He adopted a deliberate frontal viewpoint and utilized cropped figures—elements borrowed from the spontaneous nature of photography—to distill the essence of urban life into striking, modern images. His works often mirror the stylistic innovations of French Impressionism but maintain a uniquely Dutch grit. Whether capturing the snowy, serene canals in The Singelbrug near the Paleisstraat or the chaotic energy of urban change in Demolition in the Oudezijds Achterburgwal, Breitner’s work possesses a cinematic quality that brings the late 19th-century streets to life.
Breitner's repertoire was remarkably diverse, extending far beyond the cobblestone streets. While he is most celebrated for his urban landscapes, his fascination with movement and form led him to explore various subjects with equal intensity:
The historical significance of George Hendrik Breitner lies in his ability to bridge the gap between the traditional realism of the Hague School and the burgeoning modernism of the 20th century. He did not merely paint Amsterdam; he captured its soul, documenting a period of profound transition with a sense of poetic permanence. Today, his works remain essential treasures in collections like the Rijksmuseum, serving as a window into a vanished era of urban vitality and an enduring testament to the power of an unyielding, observant gaze.
