Dr Anton C.R. Dreesmann (1923-2000) was the third in a line of collectors that stretches back over a century. His grandfather, Anton Dreesmann (1854-1934), originally from Germany, crossed the Dutch-German border at the age of 16 and worked in his uncle, Rudolf Dreesmann's drapery shop in Haselünne. Anton eventually succeeded in opening his own shop in 1878 in Amsterdam, at the corner of Rozenstraat and Rozendwarstraat. With the help of a 2000 guilder loan from his uncle, the business soon flourished and expanded.
Willem Vroom became Anton's brother-in-law and by mid-1887 they had established a partnership, buying a shop in the Weesperstraat in Amsterdam which became the first Vroom & Dreesmann store in Amsterdam. Soon afterwards, shops in the Vijzelgracht and Utrechtsestraat opened. Vroom & Dreesmann is still the largest department store chain in Holland and with every major town boasting a Vroom & Dreesmann, they are a household name.
Anton Dreesmann's son, Willem (1885-1954), also assembled his own superb collection and was celebrated as a collector of pictures, drawings, silver and porcelain, bringing together a choice group of works of art relating to the city of Amsterdam. After his death this unique 'Verzameling Amsterdam' was offered to the city of Amsterdam but the city council declined to purchase it, a decision regretted later when, in 1960, the collection was dispersed. The Rijksmuseum acquired a number of key objects by Adam and Ernst van Vianen and Johannes Lutma, as well as several drawings by Rembrandt and Jacob van Ruisdael.
Dr Anton C.R. Dreesmann followed in his father's and his grandfather's footsteps as both a successful businessman and a distinguished collector, drawing inspiration from his family in the appreciation and careful acquisition of works of art. His acquisition of a Dutch cabinet in 1955 marked the beginning of his life as a collector. His core inspiration came from his native Holland, but his taste extended well beyond those boundaries to form the large collection noted for its eclectic character that is to be sold in a series of auctions at Christie's in April 2002.
